South Korea will start developing bomb disposal robot for military use.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration which signed a 7.6 billion won ($6.9 million) contract with Hanwha plans to hold an inaugural research and development meeting with the company, Yonhap reported Friday.
The state arms agency aims to complete the first stage development process to simulate the system operation and manufacture a prototype by 2019. It will then begin mass production.
In ordinary times, the envisioned robot will be used mainly for anti-terrorism tasks such as the detection and removal of explosives.
In wartime, it will be tasked with clearing obstacles, making pathways at the demilitarized zone and searching for underground enemy facilities, according to the DAPA.