Pentagon: North Korea develops unmanned strike aircraft from stolen US drone

July 6, 2012: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center right, and wife Ri Sol-ju clap. (AP/KCNA VIA KNS)

North Korea has deployed an indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle capable of attacking ground targets based on stolen U.S. target drones, the Pentagon revealed in a report to Congress.

Images of the North Korean drone in flight were shown as part of a March 2013 military drill, the Pentagon report said.

"The drone appeared to be a North Korean copy of a Raytheon MQM-107 Streaker target drone," the report said. "North Korean press coverage of the event described the UAV as being capable of precision strikes by crashing into the target."

The report, "Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Democratic Republic of Korea," is required under 2012 legislation and was made public on Wednesday.

The drone also was shown on a cruise missile simulator that was shot down by a mobile surface-to-air missile.

It was the first official U.S. confirmation that North Korea has joined the ranks of nations developing strike drones.

The United States has the most highly advanced attack drone capabilities, including Predator and Reaper missile-firing remotely piloted aircraft.

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