defense ministry-drone unit

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry launched a new drone unit Monday, aiming to bolster unmanned aerial systems and counter-drone capabilities amid North Korea's evolving drone threats, officials said.

The launch ceremony for the Defense Drone Agency took place in Pocheon, about 40 kilometers north of Seoul, attended by Vice Defense Minister Lee Doo-hee and other military officials, the ministry said.

The new agency replaces the existing Drone Operations Command as a "drone control tower" to establish drone and counter-drone strategies and handle the development of drone and anti-drone systems across all armed services, it said.

The existing drone command had focused primarily on executing drone operations.

The launch of the new drone headquarters came as a follow-up measure to the comprehensive unmanned systems development policy announced in June, designed to bolster South Korea's unmanned defense capabilities as drones emerge as a "game changer" on the modern battlefield.

North Korea is accelerating its drone development, drawing on lessons from its troop deployment in Russia's war against Ukraine. The North recently conducted weapons tests last week that simulated mass drone strikes targeting mock South Korean military guard posts and U.S. tanks.

"We take North Korea's advancing drone capabilities and related threats very seriously, although evaluating drone power requires looking beyond mere performance to fully consider detection, identification, tracking and countermeasure systems," the ministry said.

With the launch of the new agency, individual service branches will take on drone and counter-drone combat and strike roles, while the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) will coordinate overall operations.

The agency will also be responsible for facilitating a more swift acquisition of drones and counter-drone assets in coordination with the country's state arms agency.

South Korea is introducing a fast-track certification system, akin to the U.S. Blue Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), to preapprove commercial drones and related equipment, enabling the military to purchase ready-made systems quickly without traditional procurement delays.

Seoul is also focusing on the localization of drones and their components, such as batteries and motors, to reduce reliance on China.

"We are working to secure supply chains with allies and partners, including the United States," a ministry official told reporters in a background briefing Friday.

The ministry said the military plans to rapidly acquire over 20,000 low-cost, expendable combat drones and accelerate the deployment of the Korean Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (K-LUCAS) program.

K-LUCAS is a military initiative to domestically develop long-range loitering munitions, including suicide drones.

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