South Korea successfully intercepted a swarm of 50 drones using a combination of Gatling guns and a laser cannon during a recent live-fire military drill. The exercise, designed to counter the growing threat of drone swarms, saw 44 drones destroyed by Vulcan Gatling guns firing at a rate of 3,000 rounds per minute from over half a mile away.
The remaining six drones were eliminated using shotgun blasts and a laser weapon. Colonel Nam Hyung-joo, head of the information operations division at the Missile Defence Command, stated that this drill was the first of its kind to specifically defend against drone swarms and that lessons learned will inform the development of the nation's drone swarm response system.
Expanding Drone Capabilities
The drill coincides with a broader initiative by South Korea's Defence Ministry to rapidly expand its drone and counter-drone capabilities, largely in response to North Korea. The ministry announced plans to train 500,000 individuals as "drone warriors" and distribute tens of thousands of unmanned systems to frontline units.
Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back outlined a revised plan to produce approximately 60,000 drones by 2029, with around 11,000 slated for introduction in 2026. These systems are intended for deployment across all branches of the military, aiming to make drones a standard combat tool for individual soldiers, akin to a "second personal weapon."
Seoul has also emphasized relying on 100 percent domestically produced components for these new systems, citing security concerns over the use of Chinese parts. This acceleration in drone development by both Koreas reflects lessons learned from recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, where unmanned systems have significantly impacted battlefield dynamics.