[Yang Nakgyu's Defence Club] Upgraded Baekdu Reconnaissance Aircraft to Be Deployed This Year

Development Test Evaluation Underway for Units 1 and 2 in Second Phase
Deployment to Seongnam Air Base This Year, Units 3 and 4 to Join Later

An upgraded Baekdu reconnaissance aircraft, capable of real-time detection of North Korea's nuclear tests or missile launches, will be deployed this year.

The modification and development of the improved Baekdu Phase 2 project successfully completed its maiden flight last May.

On the 29th, a government official stated, "The first and second Baekdu reconnaissance aircraft have completed development test evaluations (DT) and are scheduled to be deployed to the Air Force's Seongnam Air Base by the end of this year." The official also added, "The third and fourth aircraft, which are not undergoing test evaluations, will be additionally deployed next year."

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration requested the export of signal collection equipment from the United States beginning in 2009, but this request was denied. In order to fill the gap left by the Global Hawk, a high-altitude unmanned reconnaissance aircraft that was introduced in 2018 without signal collection equipment, the South Korean military decided to develop the Baekdu reconnaissance aircraft. In 2018, two units were deployed as part of the first phase of the project, and in 2021, a second phase was initiated. Under the condition that the improved signal intelligence collection system would be developed using only domestic technology, four additional aircraft were introduced. The total project cost was approximately 870 billion won.

The core of the second phase of the Baekdu reconnaissance aircraft project is the Fisint (facility signal intelligence) function developed by LIG Nex1. The two reconnaissance aircraft introduced in the first phase are capable of detecting only North Korea's electronic intelligence (Elint) and communications intelligence (Comint). Electronic and communications intelligence is obtained through eavesdropping or interception, revealing information such as radar operation or the content of wired and wireless communications.

However, the facility signal intelligence function identifies the exchange of signals between electronic devices even when there is no movement from North Korean military communications or at nuclear and missile facilities. When North Korea's leadership presses the button to operate nuclear weapons or missiles, the signal is detected, allowing computers to identify in real time what commands are being sent to missile launchers. In the case of a missile launch, the upgraded Baekdu reconnaissance aircraft can detect the main signals of the North Korean military from a distance of up to 370 kilometers. Based on Pyongyang, this range includes the Dongchang-ri missile base and the Yongbyon nuclear facility. The Baekdu reconnaissance aircraft's loiter time has also been extended. Its loiter time has been increased to over six hours, and its operating altitude has been raised to 40,000 feet (approximately 12 kilometers), placing it out of range of North Korea's surface-to-air missiles.

A military official said, "The upgraded Baekdu reconnaissance aircraft was modified by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) using the Falcon 2000LXS from France's Dassault Aviation." The official added, "The data transmission capacity from the aircraft is four times greater than that of the aircraft introduced in the first phase."