The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said the medium-sized loitering munition was developed under an applied research program launched in 2024 to secure core technologies, including a data link connected to low-Earth-orbit satellites.
The project was originally designed to develop technologies for ground-based operations, and its planned ground-launch tests had already been completed successfully, a DAPA spokesperson said during the Defense Ministry’s regular briefing Thursday.
“The original ground-launch tests were successful,” the spokesperson said. “This was a challenging combat experiment conducted additionally to verify the possibility of maritime operations based on the technologies already secured.”
DAPA said the core technologies required for the loitering munition have been secured, but the two aircraft launched from the amphibious assault ship ROKS Marado on Tuesday crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff for reasons that have yet to be determined. The development agency is currently investigating the cause.
The remarks came two days after the Navy conducted its first combat experiment involving the domestically developed loitering munition at sea.
During the test in waters off South Korea’s southern coast, the drone was supposed to launch from a rail installed on the flight deck of the 14,500-ton ROKS Marado, conduct reconnaissance and then track and strike a fast-moving unmanned surface target about 2 kilometers away.
The first drone, launched at around 3:30 p.m., flew for only several seconds before falling into the sea. A second attempt using a backup aircraft at around 5:30 p.m. ended the same way, preventing the military from proceeding to the target-tracking and strike phase.
An ADD official at the scene initially suggested that misalignment between the aircraft and its launcher under shipboard conditions could have contributed to the failures, noting that vibrations and movement at sea differ from the conditions of ground testing.
DAPA said Thursday that investigators are examining such environmental factors and that it plans to provide the results of its initial cause analysis Friday.
The failed test has also drawn questions over the cost of the domestically developed system compared with cheaper loitering munitions increasingly used in modern conflicts.
Defense officials pushed back against direct comparisons with low-cost systems such as Iran’s Shahed drones, saying the South Korean aircraft tested this week belongs to a different, higher-end category.
Vice Adm. Kwak Kwang-sup, commander of the Republic of Korea Fleet, also signaled that the Navy would continue pursuing the project despite Tuesday’s setback.
“Today’s experiment is not the end,” Kwak told reporters following the test. “We will try again.”
AJP Takeaways
· South Korea is investigating why two loitering munitions crashed after launching from ROKS Marado.
· DAPA says the system’s core technology has already been secured through successful ground tests.
· The Navy plans to continue maritime testing despite the failed shipboard experiment.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
