South Korea plans rapid expansion of UAV, C-UAS capabilities

A Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) positioned on the tarmac at a US Central Command base. (US Central Command)

South Korea's Ministry of National Defense (MND) has unveiled plans to accelerate the deployment of expendable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UASs), and expand the number of personnel trained to operate them.

Announcing the policy on 26 June, the MND said it will rapidly procure and deploy low-cost combat and surveillance UAVs to strengthen the Republic of Korea (RoK) Armed Forces' strike capabilities, including suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD) operations.

The MND added that it will procure 20,000 UAVs, including short-range reconnaissance platforms and loitering munitions similar to the US military's Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS), which was employed during Operation ‘Epic Fury' against Iran.

It is unclear whether the loitering munition, referred to by the MND as ‘Korean-LUCAS', will be procured from the US or produced domestically.

According to information released in March by the US Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)), LUCAS is 10 ft long, has an 8 ft wingspan, and costs between USD10,000 and USD55,000. Designed to emulate the Iranian Shahed 136 loitering munition, it can be built by multiple companies.

The MND did not provide details about the reconnaissance UAVs it intends to procure. It also plans to accelerate the acquisition of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled systems capable of supporting UAV swarm operations.

Short-term and long-term C-UAS deployment goals were also outlined by the MND. In the near term, systems designed to counter small UAV threats will be deployed along border areas and at forward operating bases, with commercially sourced systems scheduled to enter service from 2027.