Post by : Badri Ariffin

A suicide drone under development by South Korea’s military crashed into the sea during a combat test earlier this week after a defect in its launch tube affected the launch, its manufacturer said Friday.

The loitering munition was launched from the 14,000-ton ROKS Marado amphibious assault ship on Tuesday. The test was conducted in waters near the southern port city of Busan, with the drone scheduled to strike a target boat.

However, the drone plunged into the sea twice just seconds after being launched. According to the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), the incident was caused by a “misalignment” in the left door of the lower section of the launch tube.

Launch Tube Misalignment Caused Drone to Lose Balance

The ADD said the misalignment created an imbalance in the repulsive force generated during launch. As a result, the drone lost stability, turned sharply to the right and eventually crashed into the sea.

An ADD official said that inspections found the drone itself and the overall system were operating normally.

The agency believes the misalignment may have occurred during the assembly process or while the launcher was being moved. Officials said an investigation is continuing to determine the exact cause of the problem.

First Such Failure During Testing

Officials said this was the first time the suicide drone had experienced such a problem during a test. The same launch tube had reportedly been used several times previously.

The ADD said it does not plan to carry out another maritime test of the loitering munition. According to the agency, it has already secured the core technologies required for operating the drone.

Drone Designed for Long-Endurance Missions

The loitering munition has a 3-metre wingspan and is designed to carry out reconnaissance, surveillance and strike missions simultaneously.

The drone is also designed to remain airborne for more than 10 hours, allowing it to conduct extended operations before engaging a target.

#Asia News #South Korea #Global Updates #World News