"Advanced Drones" Crash in Succession After Launch: What Happened at Defense Ministry Event?

[Anchor]

The Ministry of National Defense held a demonstration event today (September 16) in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, showcasing various drones and advanced drone-related technologies. However, during the event, drones developed by domestic defense contractors crashed one after another, prompting military authorities to launch an investigation.

Defense specialist reporter Kim Tae-hoon reports.

[Reporter]

At the Defense Drone Technology Exhibition held today at Seungjin Training Ground in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province.

Advanced domestically developed drones, including high-speed jet drones, suicide drones, and reconnaissance drones, gathered in one place to showcase their flight skills under simulated combat conditions.

[Won Jong-dae / Assistant Minister of National Defense: "We will witness firsthand right here the offense and defense of drones on the future battlefield."]

However, an air-to-air interceptor drone, designed to chase and strike down other drones, spun out of control and crashed as soon as it was launched from a mother drone.

["It has been launched. (Aaaaaah...)"]

An interceptor drone that successfully launched also failed to hit the target aircraft, with its altitude dropping sharply.

The first unit of the medium-sized high-speed jet drone crashed immediately after takeoff.

["Unfortunately, Unit 1 crashed right after earlier..."]

Unit 2 succeeded in taking off, but it was understood to have been lost after its signal was cut off during flight.

In addition, air-to-ground guided rocket drones and others suffered accidents, either failing to take off or crashing during flight.

The event went ahead as scheduled today because there were no issues during yesterday's rehearsal, but drones developed by defense contractors crashed in succession.

[Yoo Yong-won / People Power Party Lawmaker (Today, National Assembly Defense Committee): "Only a few succeeded, while a considerable number failed to operate properly. Even drones made by major corporations..."]

While there is speculation that there might have been radio interference, the possibility appears low as some drones succeeded in their flights.

Defense contractors and military authorities are investigating the cause of the crashes.

Last month in August, suicide drones were launched from the Navy's Marado ship, but both crashed into the sea.

With the importance of drones in warfare growing day by day, South Korea's military seems to have a long way to go in strengthening its drone capabilities.

(Video by Kim Hyun-sang | Video Editing by Jang Hyun-ki)

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