The South Korean Ministry of Defense announced on Monday the launch of a new drone command center, aimed at enhancing unmanned aerial systems and their countermeasures amid evolving threats posed by North Korean drones.
Yonhap News Agency quoted the ministry as saying the launch ceremony was held at the ministry's drone command headquarters in Bucheon, about 40 kilometers north of Seoul. The new center replaces the current drone operations command as a "watchtower" to formulate strategies against drone attacks and oversee the development of drone and counter-drone systems across all branches of the armed forces.
The ministry added: "We take North Korea's advanced drone capabilities and associated threats seriously, although assessing these capabilities requires looking beyond mere performance, fully considering detection, identification, tracking systems, and countermeasures."
Expansion and Localization Plans
The ministry noted that the military plans to rapidly acquire more than 20,000 low-cost, disposable combat drones and accelerate the deployment of the Korean Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (K-LUCAS), a military program for developing long-range domestic munitions, including suicide drones.
The ministry pointed out that following the opening of the new center, individual service branches will assume combat and attack roles related to drones and counter-drones, while the Joint Chiefs of Staff will coordinate overall operations. South Korea is also introducing a fast-track approval system similar to the US Blue UAS program, allowing pre-approval of commercial drones and related equipment, enabling the military to quickly purchase ready-made systems without traditional procurement delays.
Seoul is also focusing on localizing the unmanned aircraft industry and its components, such as batteries and motors, to reduce dependence on China. North Korea is accelerating its drone development pace, drawing lessons from the deployment of its forces in the Russian-Ukrainian war, having conducted weapons tests last week simulating large-scale aerial drone strikes targeting fake South Korean military guard posts and American tanks.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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