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Is North Korea Using Israeli Technology in New Weapons System?
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un visit the Vostochny Сosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, Sept. 13, 2023. Photo: Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Kremlin via REUTERS
The air force of North Korea (DPRKAF) has not added new aircraft to its aging inventory for many years.
Part of its force was three Ilyushin IL-76MD transport aircraft (serials P-912 to P-914), acquired from Russia in the mid- to late 1990s, that were intended for medium-range transport of manpower and cargo as well as paradropping. The aircraft, like all large transport aircraft of the DPRKAF, carries the livery and titles of Air-Koryo, the national airline. The national airline and the country’s air force operate as one single entity.
In October 2023, after a long period of disuse, one of North Korea’s three IL-76MDs was towed from Pyongyang/Sunan airport, where it was housed alongside other dormant aircraft of Air-Koryo (the North Korean airline company). The aircraft was brought inside a hangar and the area around it was fenced. Work then commenced on the aircraft inside the hangar.
In February 2025, a satellite image showed the aircraft parked within the fenced area with what looked like an installation on top intended for mounting an early-warning radar dish. Inside the adjacent hangar, the tail of a second IL-76MD could be seen, suggesting that the entire IL-76MD fleet might be undergoing the same process.
Within three months, local technical crews, possibly under the supervision of Chinese advisors, mounted an early-warning radome on top of the aircraft. A month later, an image of the same location published by 38north.org showed the aircraft at the same fenced area with the radar dish installed. A comparison of the installation with that done on Chinese IL-76 aircraft shows distinctive similarities.
China first attempted to obtain an IL-76 based AWACS platform in 1997, when Russia agreed to sell four such aircraft to the PRC air force. While these were originally standard IL-76A transport models, the aircraft were to be modified by the Israeli firm ELTA at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) facility at Ben-Gurion Airport — with the addition of an ELTA-developed Phalcon AEW suite.
The first aircraft, bearing Russian registration RA-78740, arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in October 1999. Work was completed in early 2002, but the Bush administration refused to permit its sale to China so as to prevent its potential use against Taiwan. Israel was forced to cancel the project.
Following the imposition of sanctions by the US, the PRC government decided to continue the project locally. The first aircraft, now bearing Chinese military serial number 762, was modified successfully and integrated into No. 34 division at Nanjing. The other three aircraft were later completed as AWACS platforms, now designated KJ-2000. In June 2006, one of the four aircraft crashed in a rural area of eastern China.
Why would North Korea need an AWACS/AEW platform?
The DPRK national security perception sees a potential threat posed by three enemy countries: the United States, South Korea, and Japan. Its air defense system consists of outdated radar stations supplied by the Soviet Union and the PRC. These ground-based radar stations provide only a partial picture of the enemy and are prone to electronic warfare disruptions.
The airborne IL-76 AWACS/AEW platform, when flown at altitudes of 8,000-10,000 feet or higher, can provide a wide and clutter-free picture of the airspace around the DPRK, particularly when looking towards South Korea and Japan. It can detect incoming aircraft and gather intelligence on army movements on the ground, as well as on the disposition of naval assets in the Yellow Sea and Sea of Japan (East Sea). It can also provide continuous radar coverage if ground-based stations are destroyed or incapacitated.
Unlike ground-based radar stations, the aircraft has a long range (estimated at 200 nautical miles), so its early warning capabilities can bolster the collection of tactical data. The aircraft has no self-defense capability and is thus easy prey to combat aircraft. Maintaining constant coverage of the ground and airspace would require at least two aircraft operating in rotation. Given that at least one of the two might spend time undergoing maintenance, or being grounded due to technical hiccups or a lack of spares, at least three aircraft will have to be modified for this role.
If the installation is based on the Chinese KJ2000, there is a good chance that Israeli know-how has reached the North Koreans indirectly.
Dr. Noam Hartoch (MA Security Studies, Tel Aviv University; PhD Mediterranean Studies, King’s College London) is an independent researcher. Dr. Alon Levkowitz is a senior lecturer in Asian Studies at Bar-Ilan University and a senior research fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. A version of this article was originally published by The BESA Center.
The post Is North Korea Using Israeli Technology in New Weapons System? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Rubio Heads to Israel Amid Tensions Among US Middle East Allies
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to members of the media, before departing for Israel at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, September 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard/Pool
US President Donald Trump’s top diplomat, Marco Rubio headed to Israel on Saturday, amid tensions with fellow US allies in the Middle East over Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar and expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
Speaking to reporters before departure, Rubio reiterated that the US and President Donald Trump were not happy about the strikes.
Rubio said the US relationship with Israel would not be affected, but that he would discuss with the Israelis how the strike would affect Trump’s desire to secure the return of all the hostages held by Hamas, get rid of the terrorists and end the Gaza war.
“What’s happened, has happened,” he said. “We’re gonna meet with them. We’re gonna talk about what the future holds,” he said.
“There are still 48 hostages that deserve to be released immediately, all at once. And there is still the hard work ahead once this ends, of rebuilding Gaza in a way that provides people the quality of life that they all want.”
Rubio said it had yet to be determined who would do that, who would pay for it and who would be in charge of the process.
After Israel, Rubio is due to join Trump’s planned visit to Britain next week.
Hamas still holds 48 hostages, and Qatar has been one of the mediators, along with the US, trying to secure a ceasefire deal that would include the captives’ release.
On Tuesday, Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha. US officials described it as a unilateral escalation that did not serve American or Israeli interests.
The strike on the territory of a close US ally sparked broad condemnation from other Arab states and derailed ceasefire and hostage talks brokered by Qatar.
On Friday, Rubio met with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani at the White House, underscoring competing interests in the region that Rubio will seek to balance on his trip. Later that day, US President Donald Trump held dinner with the prime minister in New York.
Rubio’s trip comes ahead of high-level meetings at the United Nations in New York later this month. Countries including France and Britain are expected to recognize Palestinian statehood, a move opposed by Israel.
Washington says such recognition would bolster Hamas and Rubio has suggested the move could spur the annexation of the West Bank sought by hardline members of the Israeli government.
ON Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement to push ahead with a settlement expansion plan that would cut across West Bank land that the Palestinians seek for a state. Last week, the United Arab Emirates warned that this would cross a red line and undermine the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords that normalized UAE-Israel relations in 2020.
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Netanyahu Posts Message Appearing to Confirm Hamas Leaders Survived Doha Strike
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a Plenum session of the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, in Jerusalem, June 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – In a statement posted to social media on Saturday evening, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the Qatar-based leadership of Hamas, reiterating that the jihadist group had to regard for the lives of Gazans and represented an obstacle to ending the war and releasing the Israelis it held hostage.
The wording of Netanyahu’s message appeared to confirm that the strike targeting the Hamas leaders in Doha was not crowned with success.
“The Hamas terrorists chiefs living in Qatar don’t care about the people in Gaza,” wrote Netanyahu. “They blocked all ceasefire attempts in order to endlessly drag out the war.” He added that “Getting rid of them would rid the main obstacle to releasing all our hostages and ending the war.”
Israel is yet to officially comment on the result of the strike, which has incurred widespread international criticism.
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Trump Hosts Qatari Prime Minister After Israeli Attack in Doha
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
US President Donald Trump held dinner with the Qatari prime minister in New York on Friday, days after US ally Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Doha.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an attack in Qatar on Tuesday, a strike that risked derailing US-backed efforts to broker a truce in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-old conflict. The attack was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond as an act that could escalate tensions in a region already on edge.
Trump expressed annoyance about the strike in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sought to assure the Qataris that such attacks would not happen again.
Trump and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani were joined by a top Trump adviser, US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Great dinner with POTUS. Just ended,” Qatar’s deputy chief of mission, Hamah Al-Muftah, said on X.
The White House confirmed the dinner had taken place but offered no details.
The session followed an hour-long meeting that al-Thani had at the White House on Friday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A source briefed on the meeting said they discussed Qatar’s future as a mediator in the region and defense cooperation in the wake of the Israeli strikes against Hamas in Doha.
Trump said he was unhappy with Israel’s strike, which he described as a unilateral action that did not advance US or Israeli interests.
Washington counts Qatar as a strong Gulf ally. Qatar has been a main mediator in long-running negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and for a post-conflict plan for the territory.
Al-Thani blamed Israel on Tuesday for trying to sabotage chances for peace but said Qatar would not be deterred from its role as mediator.