The DPRK has embarked on the "development and testing" of special weapons systems designed to counteract American F-35A fifth-generation fighter-bombers. This is stated in an official statement by the head of the department for the study of US policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK, which circulated the Korean Central Telegraph Agency (CTLC).

What kind of weapons system we are talking about is not specified, but it says that the development of special systems is the answer to the purchase of two F-35A aircraft from South Korea.

These super-maneuverable fighters are interested in another APR country, Japan, which the DPRK also places among its likely adversaries. In May, President Donald Trump announced that an agreement was reached in principle with Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo to sell 105 F-35A aircraft to Tokyo.

According to political scientists, the Americans are arming their Asian allies, as they fear the increased military potential of the DPRK. For example, the US military believes that the North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile "Hwaseong-15", which was tested in 2017, is able to reach any point in the United States, writes South Korean news agency Ryonhap. At his disposal was the departmental annual Strategic Digest for 2019, which publishes the command of the American military group in South Korea. The yearbook states that the calculated range of the Hwaseong-15 is 12,874 km. The distance from Pyongyang to Washington is about 10,800 km.

According to Ronhap, the document also states that the negotiations of Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula did not lead to any breakthroughs.

“Despite the fact that (the leader of North Korea) Kim Jong-un ordered to dismantle the missile test site, as well as the widely publicized destruction of the Phunheri nuclear test complex, much work remains to be done on the final goal of achieving the final and fully confirmed denuclearization "- quotes the annual South Korean media.

"Americans will be unpleasant"

Analysts believe that the reaction of Pyongyang to the purchase of Seoul F-35 was quite expected. Vladimir Khrustalev, an expert on missile and nuclear programs in North Korea, draws attention to the fact that the Air Force of possible geopolitical opponents of the DPRK are actively modernizing, which cannot but be disturbed by the leadership of the republic.

In an interview with RT, the expert noted that the F-35 aircraft, due to their technical characteristics, are effective offensive weapons, which means that they can be used to strike at North Korea.

  • F-35A during a demonstration flight
  • © US Air Force

Recall that in April, the US Air Force Central Command (AFCENT) announced the first combat use of the F-35, which was used to destroy the network of bunkers and tunnels of terrorists in Syria.

“North Koreans are well aware that in the event of war, they will have to deal with an adversary who will have total air supremacy, since North Korea has virtually no air force. Therefore, it is quite logical that, firstly, the DPRK intends to develop air defense, and secondly, to mask and hide all important objects under the ground, ”Asmolov said.

Under these conditions, the announcement of the DPRK that the country is preparing a response to the deployment of planes threatening it, is of particular importance, experts say.

“Pyongyang has finally openly voiced its position. It lies in the fact that the DPRK is not going to be a victim of the F-35 and will find a way to counteract these aircraft. Thus, North Korea made it clear to its potential adversaries that a possible attack on their part would not go unpunished, ”Khrustalev said.

According to Konstantin Asmolov, the DPRK’s desire to neutralize advanced American aviation will have long-term political consequences.

“Formally, the development of weapons of this kind will not affect the US-North Korean relations. It will be unpleasant for Americans, but this is not a violation of any obligation on the part of North Korea, ”said the expert.

At the same time, from his point of view, in the United States they will perceive the new North Korean developments as a challenge and violation of international law, for which it is necessary to punish with new sanctions.

“Americans like to claim that North Korea is breaking this or that. And then it turns out that Washington only hoped that it would not do this, although there were no restrictions anywhere, ”Asmolov said.

"Remove the threat"

The planned response of the DPRK to the deployment of F-35 in the border states can be very serious. Experts emphasize that North Korea’s military capabilities in the world are often underestimated.

“In photographs in the media, North Korean military equipment often looks prehistoric. However, it should not be forgotten that these cadres were mostly made at a time when the DPRK army experienced more than serious funding problems. Then the northerners created their military equipment on the principle of “blind from what was,” but this took into account local realities, which made it much more effective than it seems at first glance, ”says Asmolov.

  • North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile
  • © KCNA / Reuters

From the point of view of analysts, North Korea is fully capable of significantly enhancing and modernizing its air defense assets.

“Usually, when they talk about the fight with airplanes, they mean the air defense system. Work on the creation of a new generation of air defense systems in the DPRK is really underway. For example, in recent years, the serial production of the Pyongye-5 complexes (Molniya-5) began. However, it is possible that we are talking about other ways to neutralize the F-35, especially since classic air defense systems against subtle airplanes equipped with long-range precision weapons are not effective in themselves, ”said Khrustalev.

He did not rule out that the North Koreans could conduct preparations for possible retaliatory strikes on the airfields of a potential enemy.

“First of all, North Korean heavy salvo fire systems with a range of up to 200 km and high-precision missiles come to mind. At such a distance, they cover a significant part of South Korea. New solid-fuel quasi-ballistic missiles, such as those used in the exercises of the DPRK army in May, can also be used. They are fairly accurate, and at the same time they have a number of trajectory features that increase the likelihood of overcoming the missile defense, ”Khrustalev suggested.

The expert believes that the DPRK can prepare to neutralize the F-35 and on Japanese territory. He recalled that in 2017, during the exercises of the DPRK missile forces, possible strikes with Hwaseong-9 missiles at the US Ivakuni aviation base were being worked out.

“There was a group rocket attack on a point in the Sea of ​​Japan. The distance to it coincided with the distance to the base Iwakuni. There, during this period, the United States transferred the very F-35s, ”says Khrustalev.

Analysts believe that soon Pyongyang will concretize information about the "response" to the placement of the F-35, then at the same time we should expect any reaction from Washington. According to Konstantin Asmolov, the White House will insist on tough measures.

“Contrary to the standard opinion, as a rule, not so much the military as those who have never participated in hostilities call for tough actions. Usually politicians are sure that there will be no retaliation. And if it turns out that they were mistaken, they immediately propose radical measures to eliminate the threat. Professional military think very differently, ”summed up Asmolov.