[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Suicide Drone That Japan Also Plans to Introduce

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Japan's Ministry of Defense is expected to begin trial deployment of attack-type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Self-Defense Forces units starting next year. This move comes as attack-type UAVs have achieved significant combat success in the Ukrainian military's counterattacks against Russian forces, prompting plans to deploy hundreds of UAVs.

According to Japanese media on the 17th, Japan's Ministry of Defense is promoting the trial introduction of Israeli or American attack-type UAVs to Self-Defense Forces units from next year to strengthen island defense. After the trial deployment, from 2025, they plan to fully deploy hundreds of attack-type UAVs, both domestically produced and foreign-made.

If Japan proceeds with island defense, it is expected to deploy attack-type UAVs centered around the Nansei (南西) Islands. The assumption is that these UAVs will be used to attack enemy vessels approaching the islands or enemy forces attempting landings in case of emergencies. The Japanese government is particularly conscious of the situation between China and Taiwan. China, which is pushing for maritime expansion, is known to be focusing on the development and deployment of attack-type UAVs. Due to criticism over delays in the Self-Defense Forces' response to this, Japan appears to be rushing the trial introduction.

The UAVs under consideration for trial introduction include the Israeli-made "Harop" and the American-made "Switchblade." The Harop is about 2.5 meters in length with a relatively long flight endurance of 9 hours. The Switchblade is small, approximately 36 cm in length, easy to carry, but has a flight endurance of only 15 minutes.

Both UAVs can perform suicide attacks by colliding with and damaging enemy targets. Currently, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces operate American-made large reconnaissance UAVs such as the "Global Hawk" and small reconnaissance UAVs like the American-made "Scan Eagle," but these are for reconnaissance purposes and not for attack.

Our military has also decided to develop attack-type UAVs that detect enemy radar and perform suicide attacks. The 8th Fighter Wing established a Harpy operation squadron, investing 60 billion won in budget, and has been deploying Harpy in actual combat since 1999. One Harpy launch vehicle operates 18 Harpy UAVs. The Harpy, including its warhead, weighs about 152 kg and can ascend up to 3 km altitude. It can conduct operations within a radius of 400 to 500 km.

During the Korean War, North Korea suffered large-scale air bombings by United Nations (UN) forces and has since densely established a spiderweb-like radar network for major air defense points centered around Pyongyang. Considering this, the Harpy is an essential asset for striking North Korea's command centers.

However, Israel's IAI, the manufacturer of the Harpy, demanded an additional 25 billion won over 10 years from 2019 for continued support. As a result, the Air Force effectively gave up on logistical support.

In response, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel's IAI regarding loitering weapons and began development. KAI plans to develop a UAV similar in performance to the Harpy 2 developed by IAI. With added remote control capabilities, it can strike targets in real-time using optical equipment even if North Korea does not activate its radar. It carries a 23 kg warhead internally.

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