South Korea, US hold joint drills to counter drones with laser sensors

Asia-Pacific, News, US October 30, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

The United States military forces held a joint exercise with South Korean troops involving combat drones, unmanned vehicles and wearable laser sensors. According to South Korean military sources, the drills were aimed at modernizing the joint defense efforts of the two countries.

More than 120 soldiers from both sides took part in the drills. The exercise took place at a mock-up town in the Korea Combat Training Centre in the mountains in the eastern city of Inje. The exercise venue had a striking resemblance with North Korea’s Pyongyang.

The training was a part of the ongoing Hoguk autumn exercises. The exercises are conducted annually by the U.S. and South Korean militaries to improve their responses to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

The drills mobilized various high-tech weapons systems aimed at beefing up future combat capabilities, with the troops wearing multiple integrated laser engagement systems (MILES), which use lasers to simulate actual battlefield scenarios. Several unmanned aerial vehicles were deployed to create a reconnaissance and combat scenario. The military personnel practiced tracking and attacking the aerial vehicles using high-tech sensors.

^{US Air Force B-1B bombers and F-16 fighter jets along with South Korean Air Force F-35A fighter jets take part in a joint air drill on February 19, 2023. (Image Credit: South Korean Defense Ministry/via Reuters)}

According to a South Korean military official, “We were able to confirm the enemy’s movements using the drones, and hit them with the cutting-edge strike equipment, which allowed us to maximize the results of the operation while minimizing damage to our forces.”

Combating drones with laser

As North Korea rapidly enhances its aerial attack capabilities, South Korea is focusing on improving its defense posture accordingly. Last year, South Korea unveiled its plans to spend around $500 million to acquire the latest anti-drone defense system.

North Korean leader has been strengthening ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Analysts believe that Pyongyang plans to acquire weapons from Moscow, including combat drones and missiles.

North Korea has violated South Korea’s aerial space on several occasions using its small combat drones. The South Korean military scrambles fighter jets and attacks helicopters to counter them. On one occasion while attempting to counter the drones, a South Korean KA-1 light attack aircraft crashed shortly after taking off. Seoul has been exploring options to counter the drones through ground-based air defense systems.

^{A South Korean Air Force F-15K fighter jet takes part in a joint bombing drill with the U.S. in this handout picture provided by the Defense Ministry of South Korea on Oct. 4, 2022. (Image Credit: Reuters)}

Last month, South Korea also finalized acquiring the Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) from the U.S.-based Northrop Grumman. The ALMDS provides accurate target geo-location to support follow-on neutralization of the detected mines. The system can be attacked by the MH-60 helicopters and uses pulsed laser light and streak tube receivers housed in an external equipment pod to image the entire near-surface volume potentially containing mines.