Report: North Korea Developed Drone From Stolen US Plans

North Korea has developed and deployed its own drone aircraft based off stolen U.S. plans, the Washington Free Beacon reports, citing a Pentagon report to Congress.

The drones appear to be a copy of the Raytheon MQM-107 Streaker and are capable of carrying out precision attacks by crashing into a target.

Bill Gertz of the Washington Free Beacon writes:

The North Korean drone was first disclosed by South Korean intelligence in February 2012. Several of the Streaker drones were purchased from Syria, where North Korea was building a nuclear facility until they were bombed by Israeli jets in September 2007.

Streaker drones were originally designed by Raytheon as a training tool for the U.S. Army to test surface-to-air and air-to-air weapons on.

North Korea has apparently made slight modifications to its version of the drone by outfitting it with explosives. The streaker now functions like a remote controlled missile.

The report did not specify whether or not the drones were pilot controlled, or if they relied on pre-programmed directions and instructions.

This report marks the first time that the United States has confirmed that North Korea has joined the ranks of drone-capable nations.