North Korea’s new drones use a ‘reverse-engineered copy’ of Hellfire missiles from the MQ-9 Reaper, US Army general says

• North Korea is copying the American Hellfire missile, US Army Brig. Gen. Patrick Costello said.
• Pyongyang previously unveiled two drones that looked suspiciously like the MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk.
• Costello’s observation comes amid heightened US concern about drone threats in the Indo-Pacific region.

The US military is closely watching a new North Korean drone that uses a “reverse-engineered copy” of the Hellfire missile for the MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk, a US Army general said on Tuesday.

“North Korea recently unveiled a reconnaissance and multirole UAV that employ a reverse-engineered copy of a Hellfire missile, similar to an RQ-4 and MQ-9,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Costello said at the 2024 Association of the United States Army Conference.

Costello, who oversees US missile and air defense in the Indo-Pacific, said Pyongyang has been primarily developing drones in Groups 1 to 3, or those weighing about 1,320 pounds or less.

“As we watch all the relationships that are building in all the conflicts around the world, that’s one that we are watching very closely,” Costello added.

Costello was likely referring to a pair of drones displayed by North Korea in July 2023, which looked nearly identical to the MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk, two of the most advanced UAVs in the US military.

Pyongyang’s state media said at the time that the drones were “newly developed” and released footage of one firing missiles, which drew comparisons in the West to the Hellfire guided munitions used by the American systems.

The exact capabilities of these drones and their munitions are still unclear. If the North Korean missiles are, indeed, guided, it’s also unknown what system they employ.

Costello’s remarks now indicate a US military assessment that the drones were at least built with some knowledge of American hardware.

The brigadier general’s remarks were part of a presentation on unmanned threats in the Indo-Pacific as US military leaders spoke of a need to better prepare for drone warfare, especially given the rise of small UAVs in recent conflicts such as the Ukraine war.

“We’re certainly seeing, regardless of the theater, that this contested environment is really just a matter of fact,” said Maj. Gen. David Stewart, director of the Joint Counter-UAS Office.

The Defense Department has requested a budget of $2.4 billion for unmanned aircraft systems in the 2025 fiscal year ending September 30. However, various US military branches still hope to acquire more funds for such technology.

The unfunded wish list for the US Army alone included some $741 million for counter-drone systems and air defense this fiscal year.

The drone industry is also facilitating the rise of new defense contractors, like Palmer Luckey‘s Anduril, which is running a 10-year deal worth $1 billion with US Special Operations Command for counter-drone tech.

Earlier this month, the Pentagon awarded the startup another $250 million contract for 500 of the firm’s reusable Roadrunner drones and its pulsar jammer technology.

The US Army and 94th AAMDC’s public affairs teams did not respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.