Another issue we raised in our earlier report concerned the impossibility that North Korean industry can “actually replicate some of the more complex components and subsystems that lie at the heart of these UAVs’ capabilities. The high-technology sensors that the RQ-4 and MQ-9 series rely on are beyond North Korea’s reach, even with the benefit of espionage. That is not to say that sensors with significantly lower performance aren’t possible. The complex composite structures that make up these aircraft are another issue as is the engine technology. Simpler means of production and engines with less performance could result in significantly lower ceilings and ranges.”
