South Korea Pursues Reverse Engineering of Iranian Shahed-136 Drone for Suicide UAV System

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, South Korea is seeking to introduce a long-range suicide drone system for combat use, as announced by Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-baek. This move aligns with Seoul’s broader strategy to enhance its unmanned systems capabilities and adapt to the evolving landscape of warfare.

The South Korean government intends to produce 500,000 of these drones, designed to counter escalating threats, particularly from North Korea. The initiative aims to expedite the deployment of long-range, expendable munitions as part of a comprehensive plan that includes the development of both drone and anti-drone systems, keeping pace with rapid battlefield transformations driven by the increasing use of unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Ministry of National Defense explained that these drones will be a Korean imitation of the American “Loitering Munition Attack Drone” (LMAD), a cost-effective unmanned combat system. Yonhap news agency further reported that the LMAD itself was developed through reverse-engineering Iranian Shahed-136 drones, which have seen extensive use in recent conflicts across the Middle East.