South Korea has announced a large-scale initiative aimed at ensuring that every soldier learns to fly drones, Defence Blog reports.
The effort aims to integrate unmanned systems into all military units, making drone flying skills a standard part of military training. The Ministry of National Defense has already unveiled the "500,000 Drone Warriors" program, and Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek announced that all conscripts will receive hands-on experience with drones during their service.
"Through the effort to train 500,000 drone warriors, we must strengthen the military’s drone operating capability and create a foundation for every soldier to contribute to the industry after leaving service," he said.
The project is being funded with $14.7 million for the next year. $13.7 million will be used to purchase more than 11,000 low-cost, disposable drones for training purposes , to be manufactured in South Korea. They are planned to be distributed throughout the army so that each unit has at least one drone for training.
Another $1 million is planned to be spent on training instructors. And unused premises on military bases will be converted into training areas. This will give military personnel the opportunity to learn and practice flying skills in their garrisons.
Separately, the U.S. Army's 36th Infantry Division has been designated as the lead unit for the program. It will test commercial drones in combat-like conditions and provide military personnel with hands-on experience with the latest unmanned systems . In addition, the division will help develop new tactics and doctrine for drone operations and counter-drone operations.
This is not South Korea's first security initiative. It was previously reported that the country is developing a hypersonic ballistic missile for the KF-21 fighter jet.