South Korea announced a plan to acquire 20,000 military drones to counter growing threats from North Korea, drawing lessons from modern conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back stated the mass deployment of low-cost drones is transforming warfare. The plan includes the domestically developed Korean Long-range Uncrewed Combat Attack System (K-LUCAS) and thousands of expendable short-range reconnaissance and attack drones.
The military will also develop AI-powered drone swarms and deploy counter-drone systems along the frontline starting next year. Long-term plans include directed-energy weapons and low-cost interceptor drones.
A key component is training 500,000 "drone warriors," supported by the procurement of 60,000 commercial drones. The existing Drone Operations Command will be reorganized into a new Defence Drone Headquarters.