By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The South Korean Army will deploy 33 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in its division-level units by 2014 in an effort to boost the country’s intelligence-gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability in line with the planned transition of wartime operational control from the U.S. military to South Korea in 2012.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) will approve the plan next Monday to purchase the UAVs from a domestic aircraft manufacturer through a bidding process this year, a source said.
The agency will spend 430 billion won ($378 million) to acquire the UAVs, he said.
The Army currently operates five sets of corps-level battlefield reconnaissance RQ-101 UAVs, each set including six aircraft, a launcher and a ground-control station.
The agency had originally planned to introduce 17 reconnaissance drones to be operated at division level, but has increased the number to prepare for the takeover of the wartime command. How to execute the country’s independent ISR missions is key to the command transition.
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the maker of the RQ-101, and Korean Air Aerospace, the manufacturing division of the airline, are preparing bids.
KAI will offer the lightweight tactical Night Intruder NI-100N, or D-UAV, that uses a parachute recovery system. The model is a modified variant of the NI-100, which uses a net recovery system.
The prototype of the NI-100N underwent successful test trials last year and is waiting on more upgrades to meet the Army’s requirements, a KAI official said.
“With its compact size and lightweight air vehicle and ground control station equipped with data link, launcher and parachute/airbag recovery system, the NI-100N is an optimum UAV solution for the Army’s ISR needs,” the official said.
The UAV is retrieved by soft landing, with the assistance of a parafoil and inflatable airbag. By using the parachute recovery system and a lighter launcher, troops can conduct missions in almost all field environments and weather conditions with mobility, as it allows air vehicle recovery on unprepared terrain, the official said.
The 2.5-meter-long UAV has a service ceiling of three kilometers and a mission radius of 60 kilometers. It can operate for up to six hours and has a speed of 90 to 180 kilometers per hour. Its maximum takeoff weight is 100 kilograms.