Corps-Level Reconnaissance Drone to Monitor North Korean Frontline

[Monthly Defense Times Editor-in-Chief An Seung-beom] At the 50th anniversary joint demonstration event held on the 3rd at the Defense Science Research Institute Anheung Test Site, officials related to the Medium-Altitude Reconnaissance UAV and Corps Reconnaissance UAV II dismissed rumors, stating that everything is proceeding as planned.

Among the 32 achievements showcased at the Defense Science Research Institute's 50th anniversary joint demonstration, alongside the AESA radar for the KFX fighter jet, the Air Force's Medium-Altitude Reconnaissance UAV and the Army's Corps Reconnaissance UAV II were prominently featured.

While the Air Force's high-altitude reconnaissance UAV RQ-4 Global Hawk is currently being introduced, the Army's Type A division-level UAV acquisition project is also nearing completion.

The domestically developed medium-sized reconnaissance UAVs planned for introduction include the Air Force's Medium-Altitude Reconnaissance UAV and the Army's Corps Reconnaissance UAV II.

The Air Force's Medium-Altitude Reconnaissance UAV entered the final system development phase around the end of September 2020, with contracts scheduled to proceed with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) after the end of December. DAPA is moving forward with the policy to finalize contracts by the first half of 2021 at the latest to secure production prototypes for mass production. Subsequently, production of the prototypes will begin, with initial quantities expected to be secured by late 2022 to early 2023, followed by operational deployment.

Meanwhile, the Ground Operations Command UAV is originally known to be dedicated to the Corps Reconnaissance UAV II, and development of a brigade-level UAV is also underway. Although there was a proposal to convert the Air Force's Medium-Altitude Reconnaissance UAV into an Army version due to the wide operational scope of the Ground Operations Command UAV, no concrete details have been announced yet.

The Army showed interest in the U.S. Gray Eagle UAV, which operates in conjunction with the Apache Guardian attack helicopter, but with the recent visibility of additional attack helicopter acquisitions, it seems to have been deprioritized. Instead, as discussions on acquiring the Ground Operations Command UAV proceed, overseas companies from the U.S. and Israel are hoping to sell their products.

Conversely, the Medium-Altitude Reconnaissance UAV is reportedly favored by overseas markets that prefer Korean defense products and are awaiting its development completion, making exports highly likely.

According to DAPA, from 2021 onward, discussions are planned regarding the Army's Type B division-level UAV acquisition and the Navy's new procurement of vertical takeoff and landing UAVs.