Translation result.
[Green Economy News = Reporter Choi Seong]
The tactical foundations of modern warfare are being reshaped by a new wave centered on cost-effectiveness and integrated systems. Recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have demonstrated that traditional, high-cost, high-performance weapon systems can be undermined by inexpensive asymmetric forces.
Tanks and artillery that once dominated battlefields now face questions about their relevance as small drones—priced in the tens of thousands of dollars—proliferate. In particular, kamikaze drones costing roughly 44 million KRW (approximately 33,000 USD) each have emerged as a decisive variable on today’s battlefields.
The challenge is the cost of defense. Interceptor missiles used against drones can cost millions of dollars apiece. Even the most capable systems become fiscally unsustainable for defenders if used continuously. This is the asymmetry paradox. As a result, military strength is shifting from pure performance metrics toward a competition of supply chains—mass production and rapid resupply.
At the same time, battlefield success will hinge less on the destructive power of individual platforms and more on hyperconnected networks that fuse AI, sensors, and unmanned systems. The U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) and Israel’s AI-enabled strike systems exemplify that trend.
Those systems are designed to shave human decision time down to seconds by having AI identify targets and recommend optimal strike options in real time. Human intervention on the battlefield is shrinking as systems evolve to autonomously produce the best responses.
These shifts pose major challenges for South Korea’s defense industry. Analysts say Seoul must retain the strengths of platforms like the K9 self-propelled howitzer and the K2 tank while simultaneously pursuing a sovereign AI strategy that integrates AI and unmanned systems. With a declining population straining manpower, manning platforms with autonomous and unmanned capabilities is no longer optional—it’s an imperative for survival.
To secure its standing as a major defense exporter, South Korea will need to master system integration that combines drones, AI, and cyber capabilities.
But technological objectives run up against practical barriers in both the military and industry.
A former Army helicopter pilot and drone specialist said, “When we train active-duty and reserve forces on drones, the programs often collide with the military’s rigid institutional limits,” reflecting frustration from the field.
An official at a defense firm added, “Even when we have production capacity for kamikaze drones, national certification procedures, excessive administrative costs, and time burdens prevent rapid supply.” He urged that “procurement and certification processes must be reformed quickly to keep pace with changes in weapons systems.”
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