Drone Interception Drill Criticized as a "Show": Military Responds It Was "First Attempt"

[Anchor]

The South Korean Air Force recently conducted its first drill to shoot down swarms of infiltrating drones using Vulcan cannons. However, the exercise faced criticism, with a Ukrainian media outlet dismissing it as a mere "show," sparking debate domestically.

Kim Taehun, our defense correspondent, reports on the situation.

[Reporter]

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

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

This was part 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 / Head of Information and Operations, Air Force Missile Defense Command: We will accurately identify the threat posed by swarm drones and continue to develop effective response tactics by maximizing the use of our current assets.]

The command, whose primary mission is to intercept North Korean missiles, conducted this drill for the first time to defend against drones, which have emerged as a new threat, using Vulcan cannons.

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

It also pointed out that it is "uneconomical" to fire thousands of Vulcan rounds, which cost 70,000 won per shell, to take down cheap drones.

Domestically, these reports were cited, leading to a wave of sarcastic reactions labeling the exercise a "show for display."

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

Drills that differ from real-world combat scenarios are 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 vessel, striking its stern.

The battered, decommissioned ship was then sunk after being hit by a torpedo fired from a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine.

In actual combat, an enemy ship would not be a piece of scrap metal with its radar and engines disabled, yet the training was conducted under the assumption that it was a fully operational 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, much like our own.

(Video reporting: Kim Se-kyung, Video editing: Jung Sung-hoon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.