Korea to Develop Stealth Attack Drone

Seoul hopes to develop an unmanned stealth attack aircraft that can carry out precision strikes on North Korea's long-range artillery and mobile missile launch vehicles, according to a source.

The military source said the government has selected 31 defense projects for research until next year, including a tactical strike system using stealth drones.

The drones would avoid radar detection and carry out strikes on North Korea's long-range artillery, mobile missile launchers and multiple rocket launchers. They would also be capable of carrying out kamikaze missions on large targets. To strike smaller targets, they would fire several submunition rounds that can identify targets with sound and heat sensors.

The military is already developing medium-altitude drones that can fire missiles at targets, but they lack a stealth function and cannot stay in the air for a long time behind enemy lines.

The Defense Ministry plans to work out a concept for the drones' operations by next year and deploy them warfare-ready by the mid-2020s.

The Agency for Defense Development has a budget of W380 million for the first stage of research (US$1=W1,161).

Read this article in Korean