Live-Fire Air Defense Drills and Countermeasures Against Suicide Drones
The Navy and Marine Corps announced on April 24 that they have been conducting a brigade-level joint amphibious landing exercise in the Pohang area of North Gyeongsang Province since April 22, 2025.
This exercise involves a combined force that includes 17 Navy vessels such as the Marado-class large transport ship (LPH, 14,500-ton class) and landing ships (LST-I/II, 2,600/4,900-ton class); 19 aircraft including maritime patrol aircraft (P-3), maritime maneuver helicopters (UH-60), Marineon amphibious maneuver helicopters (MUH-1), and Air Force fighter jets (KF-16); 22 Korean Amphibious Assault Vehicles (KAAV); 8 civilian mobilized vessels; and approximately 3,200 personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.
The Navy and Marine Corps plan to strengthen their joint amphibious operation capabilities through a series of actions, including escort operations to ensure the safe movement of landing forces to target areas, advance unit operations for intelligence collection and underwater obstacle removal through covert reconnaissance of landing zones, and decisive actions to secure coastal strongpoints via maritime and airborne assaults.
In particular, for the first time in this exercise, the Navy and Marine Corps will conduct live-fire training against enemy suicide drones using small aerial target drones, as well as air defense live-fire drills, in preparation for the diversified threats of future amphibious operations. They will also utilize drones for real-time reconnaissance of landing beaches and visualization of ground targets, and will practice overcoming obstacles constructed on the landing beaches to closely simulate real-world conditions.
Brigadier General (designate) Kang Myunggil, commander of the Navy's 5th Mine and Amphibious Squadron and the director of the joint amphibious exercise, stated, "Through this exercise, we can master the procedures for conducting joint amphibious operations and enhance jointness through the integrated use of joint assets. The Navy and Marine Corps will become a one-team and accomplish assigned missions based on overwhelming strength."
Brigadier General (designate) Kim Taewon, deputy chief of operations for the 1st Marine Division and commander of the landing force unit, said, "This brigade-level joint amphibious landing exercise has provided an opportunity for the Navy and Marine Corps to unite and reaffirm precise teamwork in order to establish a model for future amphibious operations in response to diversified threats. Through a flawless joint amphibious landing exercise, we will establish the capabilities and readiness of a national strategic maneuver force that inspires public trust and instills fear in adversaries."
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