South Korea begins production of spy drones for North Korea surveillance

South Korea has begun production of medium-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles (MUAVs) to enhance the military's surveillance over North Korea, the state-run procurement agency said on January 25.

In December, the Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) signed a 471.7 billion won (US$353.6 million) deal with Korean Air, South Korea's biggest airline, along with two defence firms, LIG Nex1 and Hanwha Systems, to manufacture advanced spy drones by 2028, Yonhap reports.

The state-run Agency for Defense Development initiated the MUAV project in 2008 and completed its development in 2022.

The surveillance aircraft is capable of flying at an altitude of 10-12 kilometres and capturing high-resolution images from distances exceeding 100 kilometres. It measures 13 m in length and 3 m in height and has a wingspan of 25 m.

DAPA said the spy drone is expected to help the South Korean military's surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.