Category: ROK Military

It looks like South Korea has developed another defense product with export potential:

South Korea is mass-producing its own unmanned aerial vehicle, 14 years in development, to boost its reconnaissance capabilities against the North. Production began recently for the medium-altitude UAVs, according to a news release Thursday from South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration.

The agency signed onto the $353 million project with three defense contractors — Korean Air, the country’s primary airline, and Seoul-based firms LIG Nex1 and Hanhwa Systems — in December; development began in 2008. The UAV is expected to fly at an altitude of roughly six to seven miles for South Korea’s air force and coast guard, with the possibility of it being exported to other countries, according to the release.

Stars and Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Considering how little time the Soldiers are given to use their phones during boot camp extending this program shouldn’t cause any issues with training:

Soldiers use mobile phones on an Army base in Gapyeong, 50 kilometers northeast of Seoul, Jan. 31, 2019. Yonhap

The military has extended a trial program for new military conscripts at boot camps to use mobile phones for one hour on weekends and holidays, the defense ministry said Wednesday.

In July, the ministry introduced the six-month trial program as part of efforts to allow conscripts to use mobile phones during their mandatory military service to help them better connect with family members and friends.

The ministry said the program has been extended until it decides on a new policy on mobile phone use after analyzing the program’s results and considering measures to address possible security issues and impact on operations.

Conscripts used to be barred from carrying mobile phones for security reasons, but the troops — except for fresh recruits — can now use and possess phones from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

It is good to see the ROK military getting a significant pay increase, especially for those who choose to serve in frontline units:

South Korea plans to raise the annual salaries of entry-level military officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) at border units by up to 30 percent by 2027 from this year, the defense ministry said Sunday, amid a push to improve working conditions of troops.

The salary for a new staff sergeant stationed at a front-line unit will increase to 49 million won (US$37,190) in 2027, up 28 percent from this year, according to the ministry’s five-year welfare plan for service members.

The pay of a new second lieutenant at a border unit will rise to 49.9 million won in 2027, up 30 percent over the same period.

In ordinary units behind the front lines, a staff sergeant will see their annual pay increase to 37.6 million won in 2027, up 14 percent from this year, while a second lieutenant’s salary will rise to 39.1 million won in 2027, up 15 percent from this year.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This is an interesting acquisition choice by the ROK military:

 South Korea’s defense authorities on Monday chose Brazilian company Embraer’s C-390 for the Air Force’s new large transport aircraft over contenders from aerospace heavyweights Lockheed Martin and Airbus.

The Defense Project Promotion Committee selected the model for the 710 billion won (US$544.4 million) acquisition project set to run through 2026, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

The agency did not disclose the number of new aircraft to be introduced under the project, although South Korea is expected to purchase three units.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This would be a great upgrade to the ROK Navy’s ballistic missile defenses by fielding the SM-6:

The U.S. Department of State has approved a possible sale to South Korea of Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) shipborne missile interceptors and related equipment to help improve the Asian ally’s security capabilities, a government agency said Tuesday.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) under the Department of Defense made the announcement on the potential government-to-government Foreign Military Sale estimated to cost US$650 million.

The South Korean government has made a request to buy up to 38 SM-6 Block I missiles, vertical launch system canisters, training aids and other related equipment, according to DSCA.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It is interesting how transparent the KATUSA selection process has become to include now even a publicly viewable lottery system. In the past their was a lot of suspicion of rich and connected families receiving the KATUSA slots for their mandatory service:

Applicants and their parents vying for a military service placement in the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA) attend a lottery at the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) office in Daejeon, Thursday. Yonhap

Silence filled the room as young men and parents waited anxiously to hear their fate at the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) headquarters in Daejeon, Nov. 2, during a lottery to select who would join the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA).

The descion was made within a few minutes in a lucky draw. The 30 or so young men and their parents, who showed up on behalf of their sons, were among the 15,360 applicants nationwide who signed up for this year’s competition to serve at U.S. Army bases across the nation. 

Among them, only 1,762 would make the cut — a competition ratio of 8.7 to 1. 

Some bit their lips, while others closed their eyes for a moment of prayer as MMA officials prepared red, yellow and blue colored and numbered balls for the computerized lottery program.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

I would hope someone is developing technology to detect moving drone based mines like we are seeing the Black Sea right now from Ukraine:

Northrop Grumman has been contracted to provide technical support for South Korea’s upcoming naval minesweeping helicopter, the company announced in a news release Monday. 

The Virginia-based company will support the integration of its Airborne Laser Mine Detection System, or ALMDS, into Korea Aerospace Industries’ Korean Mine Countermeasures Helicopter program by 2027, according to the release.

The purpose of the ALMDS is to detect and identify floating and near-surface moored mines, Northrop Grumman said on its website. The system has been used in U.S. Navy littoral combat ships and the MH-60S Seahawk helicopters since its development in 2016.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.

Just another example of increasing trilateral cooperation:

South Korea, the United States and Japan staged a trilateral maritime interdiction exercise in waters south of the Korean Peninsula this week for the first time in seven years, the South Korean Navy said Tuesday, amid efforts to strengthen security coordination against North Korean threats.

The two-day exercise, which began Monday in international waters southeast of the southern resort island of Jeju along with anti-piracy drills, came after the three countries’ defense chiefs agreed to resume the trilateral exercises during their meeting in Singapore in June.

The three sides last staged a maritime interdiction exercise, which focuses on intercepting suspected smuggling vessels, in 2016 and an anti-piracy exercise in 2017.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Too bad the weather wasn’t better, but I guess we will see how North Korea responds to this military parade in Seoul:

Amidst the rain, South Korea showcases its indigenous Hyunmoo ballistic missiles during a military street parade in downtown Seoul, commemorating the 75th anniversary of Armed Forces Day. (Yonhap)

The South Korean military showcased an array of domestically produced advanced weaponry in a rare, large-scale military parade in downtown Seoul on Tuesday, with its commander-in-chief warning North Korea of the collapse of the Kim Jong-un regime in the case of a nuclear attack against the South.

In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Armed Forces Day, observed each year on Oct. 1, South Korea demonstrated its robust conventional military capabilities, serving as a resolute message to North Korea amid its increased nuclear threats.

This high-profile military street parade, the first in a decade, was staged hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a stern warning to North Korea during a military inspection ceremony.

“If North Korea uses nuclear weapons, its regime will be brought to an end by an overwhelming response from the ROK-US alliance,” Yoon said in his speech at Seoul Air Base, referring to South Korea by the acronym of its official name, the Republic of Korea.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link, but US military personnel participated in the parade as well for the first time.

Stryker Brigade combat troops from the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division join a South Korean military parade in downtown Seoul on Tuesday in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Armed Forces Day. (Yonhap)