South Korea launched the development of UAVs to be based on ROK Navy ships. The UAVs will also be tasked with reconnaissance and surveillance of northwestern islands. The main contractor and systems integrator is Hanwha Systems while Schiebel will provide the S-300 platform.
A domestic system development project for rotorcraft to be deployed aboard Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy ships and Marine Corps northwestern island units has begun in earnest.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said on the 29th, “We will invest about 143.3 billion won from December 2023 to December 2028 to conduct the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) project for ship-based, northwestern islands reconnaissance under the supervision of Hanwha Systems.”
This UAV is the first rotorcraft developed by South Korea and can be operated on land or ships without runways. ROK Navy vessels and Marine Corps’ northwestern island units had previously been restricted from operating unmanned aerial vehicles.
In particular, the northwestern islands require more thorough surveillance and reconnaissance because of North Korea’s continuous provocations.
This UAV will be able to expand the reconnaissance range off the northwestern island by simultaneously using high-performance Electro-Optica/Infrared (EO/IR) cameras and multi-function radars, and monitor it 24 hours a day to identify and respond to signs of provocation from enemies or neighboring countries, the DAPA explained.
Kim Tae-gon, head of DAPA’s Advanced Technology Division side, said, “We will do our best to develop them in a timely manner by cooperating with necessary forces and developers. The developed unmanned aerial vehicle will play a major role in deterring North Korea’s provocations by preemptively detecting and responding to threats through real-time monitoring and reconnaissance.”
He also predicted, “The success of the development of the unmanned aerial vehicle system is expected to lead to the export of the unmanned aerial vehicle sector in the future, as the private sector will also use it in various island areas where the existing fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle operation is restricted, and K-Defense is succeeding in the global market.”
