However, it is embarrassing that among this seemingly good fighter fleet, the most advanced performance is the early MiG-29 delivered in the late 1980s, and the number is not large. The models that are truly relied on as the main force are still models that have been eliminated b

[Military Martial Plane] Author: Lele

On October 10, the North Korean Air Force on the Korean Peninsula sent fighter jets on a large scale to participate in the exercise. More than 140 large aircraft groups looked quite spectacular. However, it is embarrassing that among this seemingly good fighter fleet, the most advanced performance is the early MiG-29 delivered in the late 1980s, and the number is not large. The ones that really rely on the main force are still models that have been eliminated by the mainstream of the world. Today, more than 30 years later, there is no need to study the specific performance of these fighters. The mere fact that their combat systems have not been upgraded for many years means that once they enter a state of war, they will have no power to fight back when they encounter US-made EA-18G or similar electronic fighters. Therefore, these aircraft groups cannot be said to be completely vulnerable, but their combat effectiveness is indeed not high, but they are currently having a good opportunity to replace equipment on a large scale.

▲The seemingly spectacular North Korean aircraft group

After the firefight between Russia and Ukraine, US government officials and US media made three predictions regarding the insufficient development of advanced equipment of the Russian army, namely, "hundreds of drones will be obtained from Iranian ", "millions of shells from North Korea, rocket ", and "buy the "Poronais" rocket launcher from Belarus ". As of now, the first article has been confirmed. The wreckage of Iranian suicide drone discovered by the Ukrainian army on the battlefield and the videos taken by the civilians have confirmed that the Russian army has indeed received a considerable scale of military drone support, which is by no means a small-scale accident. In addition, after Russia and Belarus recently announced the establishment of a "joint force", the " Poronais " with Chinese descent entered the Russian army to serve, which is also a high probability of happening. Against the backdrop of these two, the statement that Russia "gets millions of shells and rockets from North Korea" has become very credible. In addition, Iran really bought the Su-35S with military drones as a medium, and North Korea can of course also take pictures of it.

▲Iranian drone wreckage that appeared on the Ukrainian battlefield

In the 30 years after the collapse of , the most critical reason why the North Korean Air Force fighter equipment was updated so slowly is that other countries feared the joint opposition of the United States, South Korea, Japan and other countries, and the benefits of fighter exports were significantly smaller than their contributions. However, for today's Russia, the United States is the number one main force in supporting Ukrainian weapons. South Korea has just signed several military trade agreements with Polish , which will export fighter jets, tanks, and heavy artillery worth more than US$14 billion. Even Japan has supported Ukraine with bulletproof vests, and bulletproof helmet to Ukraine. Therefore, the biggest fear that originally exists no longer exists, which is the most basic condition for the transaction between the two. Secondly, during large-scale wars, the Russian army consumed a lot of shells and rocket launchers, and due to its special reasons, the amount of related ammunition stored in North Korea is indeed very considerable. Although it may be difficult to reach the scale of "millions" for sale, it is also quite impressive for the Russian army. Therefore, it is theoretically feasible to follow Iran's approach and use "millions of shells and rockets" as a medium to purchase advanced Russian fighter jets and complete a simple update.

▲Su-35S has confirmed exports to Iran

Another interesting thing is that unlike sufficient funds, it has been delayed until the recent purchase of Su-35S Iranian Air Force . North Korea has limited funds, so it may not be considered to introduce Su-35S, which has good performance but is also very expensive. As for the MiG-29, which is currently equipped with the same development sequence and has a significantly enhanced performance, the current production system is not sound and the efficiency and fee ratio is not very high, so it may be difficult to be noticed by the North Korean Air Force. The Su-30SM2, which has been exported to India, has been upgraded again. Although the Su-30SM2 has not performed very well on the Ukrainian battlefield, it has a high cost performance. The passive phased array radar and vector nozzle technology it is equipped with is relatively mature and can be regarded as a "shrinkable version" Su-35S, which focuses on ground and sea attacks.In addition, there are many countries that have purchased the Su-30 series worldwide, and maintenance and upgrades after introduction are very good, so the Su-30SM2 may be the most suitable equipment for the North Korean Air Force.

▲The first batch of Su-30SM2

delivered to the Russian army. Of course, since South Korea in the south has received the first batch of 40 US-made F-35A stealth fighters and has also purchased the second batch waiting for delivery, no matter whether the fighters purchased by the North Korean Air Force are Su-35S, Su-30SM2 and MiG-35, they actually do not have the ability to fight for a long time and stick to the air superiority . Its core mission has always been to ensure rapid dispatch in the early stages of the war and to cover other combat units to complete scheduled rapid assaults. This is also the fundamental reason why it does not have advanced fighter jet production technology but maintains a good scale for a long time. As of now, with the huge changes in relations between Russia and the United States and South Korea, North Korea has indeed gained strategic opportunities for equipment upgrades. Even if there is no real export of "millions of shells and rockets" in the future, there is actually an opportunity for direct procurement, but the cost will be greater and the choices will be smaller.

▲The United States and South Korea's F-35 fleet

Seeing this air force with a large scale but very embarrassing performance, the easiest thing that makes people think of is the Chinese Air Force in the early 1990s. At that time, China only had a small number of Su-27SK that had just been introduced as the core. The real main force is actually the J-7 with huge equipment scale and very limited performance J-7 and J-6 (the J-8B, which is truly combat-capable, will not start to be put into service in large scale after 1996). Now almost 30 years have passed, and the J-6, which has been in charge of the motherland's airspace for decades, has been completely retired. The J-7 and J-8 series that once relied on the Great Wall have been eliminated, and only the last 300 aircraft are left for training and reconnaissance equipment. Even the J-10, which was once regarded as the pride of domestic products, has become a supporting role, and the most powerful glory is shrouded in the cross-age J-20. This advanced force composed of hundreds of heavy stealth fighters is an existence that even the US Air Force retreats from the three colors. Looking at the neighbors on Northeast Asia and looking back at the past, it makes people sigh.