Air Force to Establish Unmanned Reconnaissance Battalion

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Air Force is pushing for the establishment of a Reconnaissance Flight Group and an Unmanned Reconnaissance Battalion.

On the 15th, during the National Defense Committee’s audit briefing held at Gyeryongdae in Gyeryong-si, Chungnam, the Air Force stated, "We will establish strategic target strike capabilities and missile defense posture to counter nuclear and WMD threats," and introduced plans to secure all-around detection, tracking, and operational control capabilities against North Korea’s ballistic missiles, as well as additional ballistic missile interception systems.

The Air Force also explained that it will secure replacement forces for long-operating fighters such as the F-4 and F-5, and develop a joint command post training execution system to enhance wartime mission performance capabilities.

In the briefing, the Air Force revealed plans to increase the number of officers to ensure smooth aerospace operations and stable weapon system power projection.

The Air Force stated that over 3,300 additional officers are needed for new weapon system power-up and combat unit reinforcement, with 819 officers already prioritized in the 2021?2025 mid-term unit plan.

The Air Force reported that the remaining officer increase, which has not yet been reflected, will be proposed next month to be included in the '2022?2026 Defense Mid-term Unit Plan.'

Air Force Chief of Staff Lee Seong-yong, who took office last month, emphasized in his opening remarks before the audit, "We are focusing all our capabilities on cultivating a strong Air Force that can immediately fight and win through practical education and training, while preparing for future battlefield environment changes and enhancing the execution of Defense Reform 2.0."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.