A North Korean drone spied on a U.S. missile defense base in South Korea before crashing nearby, according to a report.
“A South Korean Defense Ministry official, who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity, said that the drone was found in a South Korean Border town and that it taken [sic] 10 photos of a U.S. Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) site located in Seongju,” reported The Washington Post. “The Sony digital camera aboard the drone had hundreds of photos stored, though most of the images were of various agricultural areas in South Korea, according to the report.”
“The official told the AP said that twin-engine unmanned aircraft had crashed because it ran out of fuel but that it had flown farther than other North Korean drones recovered in years past,” they continued. “North Korea is believed to have 300 drones in its arsenal, according to the AP report.”
According to The Washington Post, “The THAAD system, is a sophisticated missile defense system that uses kinetic energy to destroy warheads in flight. The Pentagon has deployed the THAAD to South Korea in effort to assuage fears of U.S. allies in the region as North Korea has continually tested mid- to long-range missiles that could soon be mounted with a nuclear weapon.”
North Korea have repeatedly sent “unsophisticated” drones to South Korea over the past few years.
Last year, South Korea fired 20 warning shots at a drone believed to have come from North Korea.
In March, the United States announced the permanent station of attack drones in South Korea in response to repeated North Korean provocations.
Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington or like his page at Facebook.