North Korea may receive batches of MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets from Russia, Adm. Sam Paparo, the commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, revealed.
The top U.S. official in the region revealed the information during a conference on Saturday, in which he also acknowledged that the government has been closely monitoring North Korean military forces in recent days amid South Korea’s political turmoil.
According to Admiral Paparo, the transfer of an unspecified number of aircraft would be in exchange for sending 12,000 North Korean troops to the frontline of the war with Ukraine.
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In addition to fighter jets, Pyongyang may receive ballistic missile technology capable of reentering the atmosphere with warheads, among other know-how.
The Korean People’s Army Air Force operates a large fleet of fighters and attack jets of Chinese and Russian origin, but there are no modern aircraft.
The MiG-29 fighter, of which there are said to be 35 planes, is the most current in service, amid older jets such as the Sukhoi Su-7 and MiG-21.
North Korea, on the other hand, does not operate the Su-27, which, although less capable than the Russian Su-35s, would be a significant addition to the country’s arsenal.
Its neighbor South Korea has much more modern aircraft, such as the 5th generation Lockheed Martin F-35A fighter, and has begun production of the KF-21 Boramae, an indigenous aircraft that could have a stealth variant in the future.
