South Korea to Train 500,000 Drone Operators

The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea has announced an ambitious project to train 500,000 unmanned systems operators – every soldier in the armed forces.

The Chosun Daily reported on this.

The announced 500,000 Drone Warriors program aims to provide each military unit with a training drone and to equip appropriate training grounds at every military base.

Next year, the country’s defense ministry plans to purchase 11,000 small aerial vehicles worth 20.5 billion won (approximately $14.7 million). This will significantly expand training capabilities, as the military currently possesses only about 1,100 such systems.

“Training 500,000 drone operators will strengthen our capabilities in unmanned systems operation and provide every soldier with the foundational skills to contribute to the drone sector even after completing their military service,” Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back stated.

According to Reuters, as of August, the size of South Korea’s armed forces had decreased by 100,000 personnel over the past five years, down to 450,000. This raises questions about the feasibility of the program’s goals, even assuming that every single service member undergoes the training.

The training program will likely be implemented over an extended period, aiming to train each soldier while accounting for the natural turnover of already-trained personnel.

Militarnyi previously reported that South Korea is abandoning 60- and 81-mm mortars and replacing them with FPV drones. This is part of the army’s modernization, considering the current experience of combat operations, which is demonstrated on the battlefields in Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defense has adopted a plan to replace mortars below the battalion level, which should be implemented in a few years.

“The effective range of these mortars is about 2-3 km, but the weight reaches about 20 kg for 60 mm and more than 40 kg for 81 mm. The army explains that instead of infantry units working with mortars, attack drones can deliver accurate strikes over longer distances,” the Chief of Staff clarified.

The newly launched 500,000 Drone Warriors program could serve as a solid foundation for the retraining of mortar units.

However, another challenge to the ambitious goals of the South Korean military remains the inadequate supply of drones. Last month, a project to develop new reconnaissance drones – intended to replace the aging Songgolmae and Israeli Heron drones – was halted. The project was initiated back in the 2010s and was initially scheduled for completion in 2017, but technical malfunctions and damage to prototypes have delayed progress indefinitely.