South Korea develops homegrown kamikaze drone
South Korea has initiated the development of an indigenous medium-range loitering munition platform, a move defense officials say is aimed at reducing reliance on foreign imports and countering growing threats from North Korea’s drone programs.
According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), the new project, titled “Development of Medium-Range Loitering Munition with LEO Satellite Data Link,” will run through September 2026 with a budget of approximately 500 billion won ($340 million).
The system under development is comparable in role to the Polish-made Warmate loitering munition, 240 units of which were acquired and deployed by the Republic of Korea Armed Forces last year. However, the new Korean platform is expected to integrate advanced capabilities such as automatic target recognition (ATR), satellite communications via low-Earth orbit (LEO) data links, and a suite of modular warheads.
The loitering munition, better known as a kamikaze drone, will be capable of operations beyond line-of-sight, enabled by satellite communication, and carry a composite warhead of over 20 kilograms. Additional variants will include inert and penetration warheads, with the system launched from a multi-canister launcher.
In a statement to local media, a DAPA official noted that “South Korea’s drone force development lags behind that of North Korea in certain areas. While imported platforms have temporarily strengthened our ISR and strike capability, domestic mass production is essential to maintain strategic superiority.”
Performance specifications released as part of the program outline a drone with a maximum takeoff weight under 150 kilograms, flight endurance exceeding 10 hours, a maximum range over 1,000 kilometers, and an operational ceiling above 5 kilometers. The platform will feature a hybrid engine and propeller propulsion, and a wingspan and fuselage length of approximately two meters. The airspeed is expected to remain below 200 kilometers per hour.
The project aims to establish a fully integrated combat system, encompassing the drone, data link system, warhead integration, launch vehicle, ground control station, and communications architecture. It also includes system-level software integration labs (SIL) for certification.
