North Korea Presents Launcher for Copies of Israeli Harop Kamikaze Drones

North Korea showcased a self-propelled launcher for kamikaze drones — apparent copies of the Israeli Harop — during a military parade.

The state news agency KCNA published photos show.

The launcher is mounted on a three-axle cargo chassis, with six drones carried on each vehicle.

Alongside the launchers, the parade display included drones fitted on their launch rails. Image analysis compared the devices with the loitering munitions demonstrated last year during an inspection by Kim Jong-un in August 2024.

Visually, the North Korean drones closely resemble the Israeli Harop in shape and layout, suggesting the original system was studied during the development of the local version.

Some analysts have suggested the emergence of these likely unlicensed copies could be linked to cyber operations by North Korean intelligence. Israel has previously reported attempts by North Korean hackers to breach its defense sector.

In 2020, Israel’s defense ministry stated that it detected attacks by a DPRK-linked hacking group that tried to target employees of Israeli defense firms with fake job offers. Although authorities claimed that those attacks were repelled, some independent researchers have argued that parts of the campaign may have had success.

Given that history, it cannot be ruled out that stolen technical documentation contributed to the copying of the Israeli drone.

A separate question is whether North Korea has matched the original’s performance.

The IAI Harop has a reported range of up to 200 km, carries a 16 kg warhead, can loiter for up to six hours, and operates at altitudes up to 5 km. Its top speed, powered by a UEL AR731 rotary engine, is about 450 km/h.

In late November 2024, Kim Jong-un ordered mass production of domestically developed attack drones after test flights that reportedly hit designated targets. KCNA’s coverage at the time included a drone described as a copy of the Israeli Harop.

A year later, it is therefore unsurprising that these drones appeared in a parade. Observers have not ruled out Russian involvement in helping bring the systems to operational status or in their development.

In February 2025, Japanese broadcaster NHK World-Japan reported that Pyongyang plans to produce drones developed jointly with Russia. Several sources familiar with Russia–North Korea relations told the outlet the countries reached an agreement under which the DPRK would receive Russian technical assistance on several drone types.