Surveillance Drones, PATRIOT Missiles in S.Korea’s 2023 Defense Budget

South Korea’s defense ministry proposed a $42.3 billion budget for next year to include acquisition of surveillance drones and Patriot missiles for its military.

The budget is 4.6% up from 2022’s budget of around $40 billion. The government is likely to submit it to the National Assembly on September 2 for approval.

Of the total, the ministry seeks to spend $12.7 billion for arm purchases and other projects to bolster defense capabilities. It includes $3.9 billion to advance Seoul’s "three-axis" system that consists of the Kill Chain preemptive strike platform; the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) program; and the Korea Air and Missile Defense system (KAMD), as per local media.

It features a $92.6 million project to secure mid-altitude surveillance drones, a $95.8 million project to purchase more Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile interceptors and a 41.7 billion plan to secure 230-mm multiple rocket launchers.

Also in the budget scheme are projects -- totaling $4.9 billion -- to mass-produce the third batch of K-2 battle tanks and procure more reserve combat ammunition and other key military assets, according to the ministry.

In addition, the ministry plans to spend $1 billion on securing cutting-edge weapons technologies.

The budget did not include any outlay for a project to develop a light aircraft carrier, casting clouds over the Republic of Korea Navy’s (ROKN) long-cherished push to secure the vessel by 2033.

Officials told Yonhap News Agency that state-run Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) plans to make an acquisition decision on the carrier scheme after conducting feasibility studies, including one on the possibility of developing carrier-based aircraft.

Defensemirror.com Bureau