Published on 6/27/2026
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Last update: 05:34 (Mecca time)
Yesterday, Friday, South Korea announced a plan to acquire tens of thousands of drones to confront North Korean threats, based on lessons learned from the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The two Koreas are still technically at war because their conflict, which took place between 1950 and 1953, ended in a truce and not a peace treaty.
“The two recent wars in Ukraine and the Middle East clearly demonstrated that drones have become decisive weapons on the battlefield,” Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-bak told media in Seoul.
He pointed out that “North Korea, on the other hand, continues to work on manufacturing a wide range of unmanned aerial capabilities, which poses increasing threats not only to South Korean military installations, but also to vital national infrastructure and civilian targets.”
Plans to produce 60,000 drones
The South Korean minister said that the army “plans to produce 110,000 drones by 2029 for deployment in all units of the army, navy, air force, and marines,” before the ministry later adjusted the number to about 60,000 drones, with plans to introduce about 11,000 of them in 2026.
The ministry added, “These systems will be distributed to various army weapons, with the aim of making drones an essential element for every soldier.”
The South Korean minister explained that the government will seek to quickly put into service the Korean-made “Kai Lucas” long-range attack drone system, which is similar to the American “Lucas” system that was originally inspired by the Iranian “Shahed” attack drones.
An indicated that the army “also intends to acquire more than 20,000 single-use, low-cost drones,” without specifying their source.
These aircraft are short-range reconnaissance aircraft and small attack aircraft called “loitering munitions”.
The South Korean army will also design squadrons of drones using artificial intelligence.
Starting next year, South Korea will deploy anti-drone air defense systems along its border areas.
In the longer term, Seoul intends to add directed-energy weapons to its arsenal, such as those based on lasers and high-energy microwave systems, as well as low-cost interceptor drones, according to Minister Ahn.
Meanwhile, the South Korean Ministry of Defense reiterated that it intends to train 500,000 “drone fighters” capable of using drones as a second individual weapon.
The ministry explained that South Korea’s Drone Operations Command – which was established in 2023 – will be restructured to become a new drone defense command.
This leadership was criticized after a drone operation over Pyongyang – in October 2024 – during the presidency of Yeon Suk-yul at the time. He was subsequently sentenced to 30 years in prison because of this operation, which aimed to “manufacture” a crisis in preparation for an attempt to impose martial law.
