48.6 billion won invested from 2024 to 2026
'Core technology secured; cause of crash under analysis'
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Thursday it will work with the Agency for Defense Development, the Navy and other relevant agencies to secure the reliability of kamikaze drones and continue verifying their maritime operational capability.
The Navy conducted a maritime operational combat experiment Tuesday aboard the ROKS Marado in the southern sea, testing a kamikaze drone under development by the Agency for Defense Development.
Both drones launched during the experiment crashed into the sea immediately after lifting off from the ship's deck, preventing the test from reaching the target-strike phase.
DAPA said the drone tested in the experiment is part of an applied research program using low-orbit satellite data links, with 48.6 billion won ($35.1 million) invested from 2024 to 2026 to develop design technology for medium-sized kamikaze drones.
DAPA added that the experiment was "a challenging combat test aimed at further verifying maritime operational feasibility based on technology already secured" through earlier ground-launch tests, which had met their original objectives.
The cause of the crashes is still under analysis. DAPA said it would "carefully analyze the cause based on these results, address any shortcomings, and work to contribute to strengthening the military's manned-unmanned combined combat capability and the future fielding of unmanned systems."
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