▲ This file photo shows a military surveillance drone operating during a drill in Pocheon, north of Seoul, on May 28, 2026. (Yonhap)

defense ministry-drone policy

S. Korea to push to field 'K-Lucas' suicide drones to bolster unmanned weapons system

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, June 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will push to bring in a long-range suicide drone system for combat use to bolster its unmanned weapons systems amid a changing warfare environment, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Friday.

The plan calls for accelerating efforts to field long-range self-destructive loitering munitions as part of the country's broader drone and counter-drone policy to adapt to changes on the battlefield where the use of drones is increasingly becoming a game changer.

The suicide drones will be the Korean version of the U.S. Lucas, or low-cost uncrewed combat attack system, the defense ministry said.

The Lucas system is known to be reverse-engineered from Iranian Shahed-136 drones, a key weapon used in the recent Middle East conflict.

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