Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




UAV NEWS
S. Korea has 'smoking gun' proof North sent drones
by Staff Writers
Seoul (AFP) May 08, 2014


South Korea's Defence Ministry said Thursday that it had "smoking gun" proof that three crashed drones recovered in recent months had all been flown from North Korea.

Ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok said a joint investigation with US experts of recovered data from the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) showed they had been pre-programmed to fly over South Korean military installations and then return to the North.

"By analysing the data, the joint investigation team has secured the smoking gun -- clear, scientific evidence that all three UAVs originated from North Korea," Kim said.

"This is a clear military provocation," he added.

The drones were recovered in three different locations in the South near the inter-Korean land-and-sea border between March 24 and April 6.

One crashed due to an engine problem, while the other two ran out of fuel.

"All three had been programmed to fly over our military facilities, Kim said, describing the drone incursions as "a new type" of military threat that required a "stern" response.

In a separate briefing with foreign journalists, Vice Defence Minister Baek Seung-Joo said the drones were unsophisticated UAVs with no live ground-control system and rudimentary programming systems.

"However, there is always the possibility that the North might use them for attacks after arming them with high explosives, considering its irrational and reckless tendency for provocative acts," Baek said.

North Korea has flatly denied any connection with the drones, and accused Seoul of fabricating a link in order to smear Pyongyang.

All three UAVs were equipped with cameras and had taken pictures of border areas and the capital Seoul, including the presidential palace.

North Korea had displayed a set of what looked like very basic drones during a huge military parade held in Pyongyang last July to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.

And in March last year, state media reported leader Kim Jong-Un overseeing a military drill using "super-precision drone planes."

Video footage of the exercise broadcast on state television showed what resembled air force target drones being flown into a mountainside and exploding.

The South Korean defence ministry said the North had an estimated 300 drones of various types, and said it planned to acquire low-altitude surveillance radar to counter their threat.

There is evidence to suggest the North Korean models were based on a Chinese-made UAV and the ministry said Beijing had been asked to check into a possible link between the Chinese manufacturer and Pyongyang.

The data recovered from the crashed vehicles showed they had all been flown from different locations, between five and 30 kilometres (three and 18 miles) inside the North Korean side of the border.

.


Related Links
UAV News - Suppliers and Technology






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








UAV NEWS
Hummingbird line of VTOL unmanned aerial systems to make debut
Lafayette, Colo. (UPI) May 7, 2013
Three Hummingbird vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial systems are being introduced by Reference Technologies, the company reports. The Model 1 Hummingbird is a battery powered aircraft with a medium flight duration and light payload capacity. Model II, a long flight duration and high payload aircraft, uses a gas-powered electrical system to power to six external rotors surround ... read more


UAV NEWS
Astrobotic Partners With NASA To Develop Robotic Lunar Landing Capability

John C. Houbolt, Unsung Hero of the Apollo Program, Dies at Age 95

NASA Completes LADEE Mission with Planned Impact on Moon's Surface

Russia plans to get a foothold in the Moon

UAV NEWS
NASA's Curiosity Rover Drills Sandstone Slab on Mars

Nonprofit says: fire missiles at Mars to dig for signs of life

ISS research shows that hardy little space travelers could colonize Mars

Target on Mars Looks Good for NASA Rover Drilling

UAV NEWS
Pioneering Mercury Astronauts Launched America's Future

NASA Invests in Hundreds of US Small Businesses to Enable Future Missions

Boeing Showcases Future Commercial Spacecraft Interior

NASA's Next Prototype Spacesuit has a Brand New Look, and it's All Thanks to You

UAV NEWS
New satellite launch center to conduct joint drill

China issues first assessment on space activities

China launches experimental satellite

Tiangong's New Mission

UAV NEWS
Ham video premiers on Space Station

NASA Seeks to Evolve ISS for New Commercial Opportunities

Astronauts Complete Short Spacewalk to Replace Backup Computer

No Official Confirmation of NASA Severing Ties with Russian Space Agency

UAV NEWS
Replacing Russian-made rocket engines is not easy

US sanctions against Russia had no effect on International Launch Services

SHERPA launch service deal to deploy 1200 kilo smallsat payloads

Pre-launch processing begins for the O3b Networks satellites

UAV NEWS
Length of Exoplanet Day Measured for First Time

Spitzer and WISE Telescopes Find Close, Cold Neighbor of Sun

Alien planet's rotation speed clocked for first time

Seven Samples from the Solar System's Birth

UAV NEWS
IBM expands cyber-security solutions

Appeal court revives Oracle-Google copyright battle

Radio waves affect migrating birds: study

HP steps up in cloud with $1 bn investment




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.