North Korea tests cruise missiles as US surveillance aircraft fly over peninsula

By Kim Hee-su Posted : October 15, 2026, 08:23 Updated : October 15, 2026, 09:37
A missile is launched from North Korea's Choe Hyon destroyer during tests of two strategic cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles observed by leader Kim Jong Un on April 12, 2026, in footage aired by Korean Central Television on April 14.
SEOUL, October 15 (AJP) - North Korea test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles in the East Sea on Wednesday as U.S. reconnaissance aircraft were tracked flying over the Korean Peninsula on the same day.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Thursday that the country's Missile Administration conducted the tests on Oct. 14, without providing further details on the launch location or flight performance.

Kim Jong-sik, first vice department director of the Workers' Party Central Committee, and Jang Chang-ha, head of the Missile Administration, observed the launches alongside naval engineers specializing in underwater weapons systems.

"The test launches contributed to checking the routine operational readiness of underwater combat systems and improving the navy's ability to carry out strategic missions," KCNA reported.

The tests also demonstrated the reliability and capabilities of North Korea's war deterrence systems, the agency said, adding that the launches had no negative impact on neighboring countries.

The report appeared only on KCNA, North Korea's external state news agency, and was not carried by the Rodong Sinmun, the ruling Workers' Party's official newspaper distributed to the domestic population.

South Korea's military did not publicly announce the launches but said it had been aware of the activity.

"We do not normally announce cruise missile launches. We only announce ballistic missile launches," the public affairs chief of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) told AJP.

"We were aware of the launch-related activity yesterday," the official added.
 
The Triton unmanned aircraft system completes its first flight May 22, 2013 from the Northrop Grumman manufacturing facility in Palmdale, Calif. U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman photo by Alex Evers
Meanwhile, a U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton high-altitude unmanned reconnaissance aircraft was tracked flying over the central Korean Peninsula and the East Sea for about nine hours on Wednesday, according to a report by Voice of America (VOA), citing flight-tracking data from Flightradar24.

The MQ-4C Triton departed Okinawa, Japan, at around 2 a.m. Wednesday, reached waters south of the Korean Peninsula around 4 a.m. and entered South Korean airspace near Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, at approximately 5 a.m.

It then made about 10 back-and-forth flights between central South Korea and the East Sea before leaving the peninsula around 1 p.m., VOA reported.

The Triton is a U.S. Navy high-altitude, long-endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft designed to monitor large maritime and coastal areas.

A U.S. Army reconnaissance and electronic warfare aircraft known as ARES was also tracked flying between the East and West Seas.

According to VOA, the ARES aircraft departed the Pyeongtaek area at 11:48 p.m. Tuesday and returned at 8:11 a.m. Wednesday after conducting multiple flights over the East and West Seas.

ARES is designed to collect electronic intelligence, including communications and radar signals, and is known to support intelligence-gathering operations related to North Korea.

U.S. Forces Korea declined to comment on specific military capabilities or assets for operational security reasons, VOA reported.

The command said it remained focused on maintaining a strong and combat-ready military posture on the peninsula and reaffirmed Washington's commitment to South Korea's defense. 

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