According to a source close the army on Tuesday, a new group will be formed in the military dedicated to the development of drone bots and standard platforms, as well as creating a team of drone bot combatants, which will be a ‘game changer’ on the battlefield. (Image: Korea Army Academy at Yeongcheon)
SEOUL, Dec. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – The South Korean army is reportedly on course to launch a combat unit consisting of drone bots sometime next year, in a move that signals a new era of drone bots in the military.
According to a source close the army on Tuesday, a new group will be formed in the military dedicated to the development of drone bots and standard platforms, as well as creating a team of drone bot combatants, which will be a ‘game changer’ on the battlefield.
The drone bot combat unit is a combination of the word ‘drone’ and ‘robot’, consisting of robots with drone technology which will be deployed to fight enemy combatants.
Reports of the drone bot combat team comes as part of the Republic of Korea Army’s five-point ‘game changer’ plan, which was designed to reduce human casualties and guarantee victory in battle.
The newly proposed combat unit will take on a number of tasks including monitoring and patroling high-payoff targets like senior North Korean military officials and weapons of mass destruction, and attacking them in case of an emergency to minimize casualties, the source said.
As part of efforts to create the unit, a drone training center will be established where special combatants will be trained to develop a better command of unmanned aerial vehicles for military purposes.
Earlier this year, the Republic of Korea Army began a research project on a battlefield tactic where small drones in squadrons will carry 1 kilogram, high capacity bombs which will be dropped on targets.
The ‘swarming’ military strategy, which is currently in development, will see a group of drones resembling a swarm of bees in shape deployed to neutralize enemies and their military capabilities when complete, while another strategy is being developed to allow long-distance strike mission for high payoff targets using drones.
The South Korean army’s adoption of drones on the battlefield follows the footsteps of the U.S. and Chinese armed forces, which have already adopted swarming drone tactics.
Last November, the Chinese military publicly released video footage of swarming tactics using drones.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
