Seoul: The defense ministry seeks to integrate control systems for military drones as part of efforts to better manage hard-to-detect mini drones and reduce the risk of accidental clashes with passenger aircraft, officials said Thursday. The ministry recently commissioned a research project to develop a strategy for building an integrated drone control system aimed at unifying the separate systems currently operated by different military units, the military officials said.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the move came amid a growing need for a more systemized drone control regime, driven by the increasing difficulty of detecting and managing small drones in midair due to their minimal radar reflections, as well as the risk of collisions with passenger aircraft. Drones are playing increasingly larger roles in the military at home and abroad, with their numbers expected to grow exponentially down the road.
Through the research, the defense ministry plans to redefine the scope of drones to be covered by the envisioned integrated control system and the area of operational responsibility for each military unit, it added. It will also review whether the new control system can be integrated with the transport ministry-managed Unmanned Aircraft Traffic Management Systems (UTM), as well as who should be in charge of the integrated system. The results of the research are expected by the end of the year.