The recent air force drills at Kalma International Airport in Wonsan, attended by Kim Jong Un, may seem a bit silly to the outside observer.

Showing off decades-old aircraft while the country also lacks adequate supplies of jet fuel and replacement parts doesn’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of superior “enemy” forces.

Indeed, the implications of aviation fuel shortages may mean that North Korean pilots receive substantially fewer annual flight hours than other air forces, as many estimate, to save resources. 

However, the drills clearly demonstrate that the country isn’t