North Korea Demonstrates Copy of German IRIS-T Air-to-Air Missile

During celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army Air Force, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was presented a copy of the German IRIS-T air-to-air missile.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published photos of the equipment. The missiles were demonstrated near MiG-29 fighter jets and also mounted on the hardpoints of Su-25 attack aircraft.

As is typical for the North Korean defense industry, official specifications and designations were not released. However, based on their similar weight and dimensions to the German IRIS-T and Japanese Type 04 missile, their capabilities can be roughly estimated.

The Type 04, developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries from 1991 to 2004 for close air combat, features tail control surfaces and thrust vectoring. It weighs 95 kg and has a maximum range of 30-35 km.

By comparison, the German IRIS-T is lighter at 87 kg and slightly smaller: 2.94 m long with a diameter of 127 mm, versus 3.105 m length and 130 mm diameter for the Type 04.

There is also a Chinese analogue, the PL-10E, which shares similar tail control surfaces. It measures 3 meters in length, weighs 89 kg, and has a reported maximum range of 20 km. Based on these comparisons, the North Korean missile likely has a range of 15–25 km, weighs about 90 kg, and is approximately 3 meters long.

Amid expanding military-technical cooperation with Russia and China, North Korea has recently displayed a growing number of new weapons, including advanced aircraft armaments. If mass production of the new infrared-homing missile is achieved, the North Korean Air Force would gain a full set of modern weapons, complementing the recently demonstrated radar-homing missile.

Militarnyi previously reported that in May 2025, the North Korean Air Force conducted test firings of a domestic air-to-air missile under Kim Jong-un’s supervision. The missile, launched from a MiG-29, successfully hit an aerial target.

Initial demonstrations involved launches from a MiG-29 (tail number 576) and possibly from MiG-23s. The missile successfully struck a target drone. Its dimensions are similar to the American AIM-120 and Chinese PL-12, with pointed forward aerodynamic rudders characteristic of both the AIM-120 (A and B versions) and the PL-12.