S.Korea to Produce Stealth Drone Prototype this Year

South Korea plans to produce stealth drone prototype by the end of this year.

The country's flag carrier Korean Air Co. revealed this during a forum hosted by ruling People Power Party, adding that the first formation flight of stealth drones will be conducted around 2025. The airline did not give out any details on the stealth drone.

Currently under development, the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will work alongside manned aircraft for a range of missions, such as surveillance and reconnaissance operations and electronic warfare missions, Yonhap News Agency reported today.

Seoul is striving to develop such drones to build a "manned and unmanned teaming" framework, which it believes will reduce casualties and other combat costs and maximize the efficiency of battle operations.

According to a defense ministry official, the South Korean military currently runs some 3,100 unmanned assets. Of them, 3,000 assets are for aerial operations, including 800 weapons systems. It plans to bring in around 4,400 additional unmanned assets by 2027.