RoKA to acquire three new small UAV types from 2021

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on 2 December that it has signed contracts to acquire three new types of small rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the Republic of Korea Army (RoKA) from 2021.

The agency said an expendable attack UAV/loitering munition from local company Darts, a UAV from UMAC Air armed with a rifle, and LIG Nex1’s ‘Direct Collision Strike Drone’ – which can also serve as a loitering munition – will be deployed with the army on a trial basis within the next 3–6 months.

DAPA pointed out that four units of the UAV made by Darts can fit into one backpack. The foldable UAV, which is armed with an explosive and fitted with sensors for target acquisition, is meant for use as a fire-and-forget weapon against enemy equipment and/or personnel at close range. The agency said the UAV is capable of finding and striking a designated target even if the operator does not control it after launch.

The UAV from UMAC Air would be fitted with an S&T Motiv K2 5.56 mm pattern assault rifle, with the weapon being stabilised and buffered by the mounting interface. It features electro-optical sensors and a high-magnification zoom to enable the user to identify even distant targets. It is also equipped with a device to automatically track and aim at the target through real-time images.