“South Korea’s accelerated UAV development reflected the lessons of Ukraine and the Middle East, where drones have become a central instrument of modern warfare.”

Nataliya Butyrska, Associate Senior Fellow at the New Europe Center, comments for the South China Morning Post — Hong Kong’s oldest English-language newspaper, published since 1903 — on South Korea’s ambitions to become a top-tier producer of next-generation combat drones and autonomous military systems.

The article highlights that Seoul is drawing direct lessons from Russia’s war against Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East, where drones have fundamentally changed the nature of warfare and become one of the key instruments on the battlefield.

Nataliya Butyrska highlights that Seoul’s efforts to develop indigenous UAV engines and loyal wingman technologies are not only about technological independence, but also about responding to the changing nature of warfare shaped by Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“This programme represents an effort to narrow the technological gap … This should be viewed as a clear indication that South Korea intends to become a major player in the global drone market and in next-generation unmanned combat aviation,” she notes.

Read more on South China Morning Post via the link here.