Drone Interception Drill Criticized as a "Show," Air Force Cites "First-Time" Context

[Anchor]

The South Korean Air Force recently conducted its first live-fire drill to shoot down a swarm of drones. However, after a Ukrainian media outlet criticized the exercise as nothing more than a "show," it has sparked controversy domestically. The Air Force explained that because it was the first drill of its kind, it targeted low-speed drones, and that it plans to advance the training level to include high-speed drones in the future.

Defense correspondent Kim Taehun reports.

[Reporter]

As 50 drones approach in a swarm, mimicking an amphibious landing operation, eight Vulcan cannons at a coastal position open fire in unison.

Forty-four drones were shot down, and the remaining six were brought down using shotguns and lasers.

This was the scene of the "Swarm Drone Response Drill" conducted by the Air Force Missile Defense Command at the West Sea shooting range in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, on June 23.

[Nam Hyung-ju / Chief of Information and Operations, Air Force Missile Defense Command: We will accurately identify the threat of swarm drones and develop effective response tactics by maximizing the use of our currently operational assets.]

It was the first time the command, whose primary mission is intercepting North Korean missiles, conducted a drill to defend against drones—a newly emerging threat—using Vulcan cannons.

However, a Ukrainian military specialized media outlet that viewed the footage mocked it as a "show," stating that in actual combat, drones would never fly slowly in front of Vulcan cannons.

The report also pointed out that it is "uneconomical" to pour out thousands of Vulcan shells, which cost 70,000 won per round, to take down cheap drones.

Domestically, reactions citing this report have also poured in, with some calling it a "show for display."

The Air Force explained that it used low-speed swarm drones because it was the first training of its kind, and that it would develop the drills to intercept high-speed suicide drones in the future.

Training that differs from actual combat is common even among major military powers.

Late last month, during a multinational exercise held off the coast of Guam, a New Zealand Navy patrol aircraft fired a Harpoon anti-ship missile at a rusted, decommissioned U.S. Navy ship, striking its stern.

The battered, decommissioned ship was then hit by a torpedo fired by a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine and slowly sank.

While an enemy ship in actual combat would certainly not be a piece of scrap metal with its radar and engines disabled, the drill was conducted under the assumption that it was a fully functional enemy vessel.

Military officials state that even if there are differences from real combat, conducting training under realistically achievable conditions is a practice shared by major military powers and South Korea.

(Video reporting: Kim Se-kyung, Video editing: Jung Sung-hoon)

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