South Korean unnamed reconnaissance, attack, and long-range explosive drones are a South Korean military UAV family and force-development program built around mass operator training, short-range reconnaissance drones, small loitering munitions, and the K-LUCAS long-range one-way attack concept. The June 2026 policy links these drones to service-wide surveillance and strike missions, rapid acquisition of expendable systems, Korean-made training-drone procurement, and a response to North Korean unmanned threats rather than a single publicly named airframe.
Public 2026 reporting tied South Korea's unnamed reconnaissance, attack, low-cost expendable, and K-LUCAS drone plans to countering North Korean unmanned and missile threats, while leaving individual combat employment by model unconfirmed.
The June 2026 policy describes a force-wide drone package rather than one single model. Its public shape is a training fleet, a low-cost expendable layer, a named long-range attack system, and a reorganized command structure for service-level drone operations.
A 500,000-person drone-warrior goal supported by Korean-made commercial training drones for army, navy, air force, and marine units.
The briefing describes more than 11,000 drones in 2026 and about 60,000 by 2029, roughly one per squad.
More than 20,000 low-cost drones are planned, including short-range reconnaissance drones and small suicide drones.
K-LUCAS is the public long-range suicide-UAV example, described as a Korean-style low-cost uncrewed combat attack system.
Official material describes Korean-made training drones and a plan to localize core components, with full domestic parts framed as a planning objective.
K-LUCAS is publicly framed as South Korea's long-range counterpart to the U.S. LUCAS concept and the Iranian Shahed-136 style of affordable one-way attack drone. Public material does not identify an exact airframe, engine, warhead, range, seeker, manufacturer, or unit cost for K-LUCAS.
South Korea scrambled jets and fired warning shots after five North Korean drones crossed the military demarcation line, helping make counter-drone preparedness a higher priority.
Sources: South Korea scrambles jets as North Korean drones violate airspace
South Korea launched a joint Drone Operations Command near Pocheon to oversee unmanned surveillance, reconnaissance, strike, psychological-warfare, and electromagnetic-warfare missions after North Korean drone incursions.
Sources: S. Korea launches Drone Operations Command amid N. Korean threats
South Korea announced the Defense Drone and Anti-Drone Development Policy, covering 500,000 drone warriors, about 60,000 Korean-made training drones by 2029, more than 20,000 low-cost expendable drones, K-LUCAS fielding, and the National Defense Drone Headquarters reorganization.
Sources: 한국형 장거리 자폭 드론 전력화 추진...50만 드론 전사 양성, 국방 드론·대드론 발전 정책 발표
