▲ Reconnaissance drones gather battlefield information during a media day for a joint live-fire exercise on May 21.
The South Korean military will deploy the "K-LUCAS," a Korean-style long-range suicide drone, as part of efforts to expand its drone and anti-drone capabilities, which have emerged as "game changers" in modern warfare.
The Drone Operations Command will be reorganized into the Defense Drone Headquarters, a policy-oriented organization that will not hold operational command but will instead focus on developing drone and anti-drone combat capabilities and supporting acquisitions.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek announced the drone and anti-drone development policy containing these plans during a briefing at the Ministry of National Defense headquarters in Seoul on Friday (June 26).
The ministry stated that it will swiftly push for the deployment of the "K-LUCAS" (K-Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System), a Korean-style long-range suicide drone designed for strategic strikes and neutralizing enemy air defense networks in response to recent warfare trends.
The system appears similar in concept to the LUCAS, a low-cost uncrewed combat attack system that the United States reverse-engineered from Iranian Shahed drones and deployed in the U.S.-Iran conflict.
Along with this, the ministry announced plans to prepare for future battlefields by rapidly acquiring more than 20,000 low-cost, consumable drones, such as short-range reconnaissance drones and small suicide drones, while simultaneously securing next-generation drone capabilities, including swarm drones utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
In addition, the military plans to deploy anti-drone systems and small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) response systems in frontline areas in the short term, and immediately field-test proven commercial equipment next year.
"Over the medium to long term, we will develop and deploy directed-energy weapons requiring advanced technology, such as lasers and high-power microwaves, while also securing various means early on, including low-cost interceptor drones, to counter the threat of low-cost drones," the ministry said.
In recent conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine and the U.S.-Iran conflict, low-cost drones have clearly demonstrated their role as "cost-effective" weapon systems that exhaust expensive enemy air defense networks.
Pointing out these changes on the battlefield, experts and officials have previously raised the need to make the acquisition system more flexible to respond effectively.
In this regard, the Ministry of National Defense expressed its commitment to innovating the acquisition system, stating, "We will push for the enactment of legislation to secure advanced capabilities flexibly and rapidly."
Specifically, the military plans to establish a differentiated "rapid acquisition system" for drones by quickly adopting private technologies after military testing or linking commercial drones with military certification systems for deployment.
The Drone Operations Command, which was established in 2023 under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, will be reorganized into the "Defense Drone Headquarters."
The Drone Operations Command was previously a source of controversy following the so-called "Pyongyang drone" incident in October 2024.
Currently, the headquarters of the Drone Operations Command performs tasks similar to those of a general military staff, such as establishing and executing operational plans.
The ministry plans to transfer the operational functions of the command to each military branch, while transforming the Defense Drone Headquarters into a specialized organization dedicated to developing concepts and identifying requirements in the drone and anti-drone fields, supporting acquisitions in connection with each military branch, and cooperating with the industry and various institutions.
The Defense Drone Headquarters will be organized as a unit directly under the Ministry of National Defense, with a major general serving as its head.
"We will improve the current system, where some drone capabilities are concentrated in specific units, so that each military branch can perform surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike operations in an integrated manner," the ministry explained, adding that the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps will each develop drone operation concepts and tactics suited to their unique characteristics and missions.
In addition, the military reaffirmed its policy to train "500,000 drone warriors" so that all service members can utilize drones like a "second personal weapon."
The military also plans to introduce around 60,000 domestically produced commercial drones for educational purposes.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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