South Korea, US troops hold drills with drones, laser sensors
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K-9A1 and K-55A1 howitzers under the army’s 5th Artillery Brigade firing shells in a drill at a firing range in Cheorwon, South Korea, on Oct 27, 2023.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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INJE, South Korea - South Korean and United States troops held joint future combat drills involving drones, an unmanned vehicle and wearable laser sensors this week as part of efforts to modernise their militaries, Seoul’s army said on Saturday.
The training came as South Korea’s military conducts a series of annual Hoguk autumn exercises aimed at improving responses to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.
Over 120 soldiers from both sides joined forces to fight against a trained team of opposing forces in a mock-up town that appeared similar to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, built at the Korea Combat Training Centre in the mountains of South Korea’s eastern city of Inje.
The drills mobilised various high-tech weapons systems aimed at beefing up future combat capabilities, with troops wearing multiple integrated laser engagement systems (Miles), which use lasers to simulate actual battle.
Several drones were flown for reconnaissance purposes, with some firing assault rifles, while South Korea dispatched a multi-purpose unmanned vehicle to carry wounded personnel.
Captain Choi Jeong-il of the South Korean army’s 25th Infantry Division, nicknamed the Tiger brigade, said the unmanned assets and the Miles gear helped identify enemies and gauge allied troops’ casualties.
“We were able to confirm the enemy’s movements using the drones, and hit them with cutting-edge strike equipment, which allowed us to maximise the results of the operation while minimising damage to our forces,” he said.
First Lieutenant Derek Chen from the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the US 4th Infantry Division said the drills offered an “eye-opening experience” and the assets would be beneficial in future combat operations.
South Korea’s army launched the Tiger brigade in 2022 as a pilot unit for future warfare operations using artificial intelligence-powered drones and highly mobile fighting vehicles. It aims to transform all combat units based on that model by 2040.
The army also held what it called its first international future warfare competition for five days until Saturday. Some 300 troops from five countries including Britain, Uzbekistan and Cambodia participated in it. REUTERS
