3 February 2013. BH sends: I was in the DPRK twice last year and have come to the conclusion that the western public is being duped by our media. I know, I know...that's what media does. But how the DPRK is presented to Americans takes the cake. For example, the aircraft pictured in the first couple of photos appear to be Soviet manufactured IL-28s (and/or a Chinese variant). That design dates from 1948. I highly doubt if any of those planes is airworthy. Others appear to be Mig-15s, Mig-17s, and Mig-19s (and/or their Chinese variants). Those designs are more than 60 years old, more museum pieces. Other planes appear to be Mig-21s, still flying in air forces around the world, but based on a 1958 design. DPRK state media often shows pilots running towards Mig-21s, but never taking off, and then cuts to footage of them flying that appears to be 30 years old. What appear to be Su-25s are ground attack aircraft that date from the mid-1970s. My guess is that only a handful of them are airworthy (I saw two fly overhead in June). Many of the other planes appear to be An-2s. Those, by the way, are cargo biplanes. I doubt very many of the helicopters shown are airworthy either. The DPRK may have 5 airworthy Mig-29s, perhaps a few more. The DPRK is not a threat to any nation. It puffs and boasts defensively... 2 February 2013 DPRK Air Bases 1 DPRK Air Bases 2: http://cryptome.org/2013-info/02/dprk-airbases/dprk-airbases-02.htm

DPRK Air Bases 3: http://cryptome.org/2013-info/02/dprk-airbases/dprk-airbases-03.htm