The North Korean unmanned aircraft systems that recently crashed in Paju, Gyeonggi Province and in Samcheok, Gangwon Province are probably copies of Chinese UAS. An amateur UAV club posted an image of a Chinese UAS which looks very much like the crashed aircraft after performing an Internet search.
The SKY-09P is 1.21 m long with a wingspan of 1.92 m and a maximum takeoff weight of 12 kg. It is manufactured by Taiyuan Navigation Friend Aviation Technology Co. Ltd. This company was formed in July 2003 and is based in Taiyuan city, Shanxi province.
According to the company’s datasheet, the UAV has a speed of 80-100km/h and a range of less than 40km. It can carry a payload of 3kg and is recovered by parachute.
The North Korean UAS are 1.22 m long with a wingspan of 1.92 m and a takeoff weight of 13 kg, according to the Agency for Defense Development in Seoul.
Photo: The SKY-09P
Sources: Chosen Media, Walter Farrah