South Korean Army Establishes First Drone Combat Unit

South Korea’s Army has put up the first combat drone battalion under the wing of Third ROK Army (TROKA), headquartered in Yongin, just south of Seoul as part of a new "ground intelligence unit".

Army officials hope that the country's first drone battalion will help sharply enhance combat capabilities as a potential game changer in future warfare.

"In the midst of rapidly changing strategic circumstances, the role and mission of ground forces, which prop up the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula, are more important than ever," Gen. Kim Yong-woo, the Army chief of staff, was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.

The Army will develop the drone battalion and its supporting units as the world's top-notch force, based on fourth industrial revolution technology, to actively counter any type of existing and future threats, he added.

The unit is equipped with various swarms of drones, including reconnaissance, weaponized, electronic warfare and multi-role ones.

Col. Kim Young-kyun, the inaugural commander of the unit, described the "dronebot" unit as the very future of the Army, using a combination of the words "drone" and "robot."