YONHAP NEWS

Military research institute starts UCAV tech evaluation

SEOUL, March 1 (Yonhap) -- A state-run military research institute said Monday it has started technology evaluations on a indigenous unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV), hoping to enhance South Korea's defense capabilities.

   The research is to be carried out up till 2012 with a decision on whether to build the unmanned weapon to be made in the following year, according to the Agency for Defense Development (ADD).

   "Technical research will be centered on such areas as ground link control systems and stealth capabilities with an overall blueprint on a possible UCAV to be drawn in the 2011-2012 period," a ADD source said. Evaluations will also involve collecting overseas data for assessment.

   ADD will be in charge of the research, with a separate institute that has strength in aeronautics, avionics and electronics to be designated in April to conduct detailed tests and feasibility studies.

   UCAVs are remotely controlled unmanned aircraft that can carry precision bombs and missiles to strike key military targets. As it has no pilot, it has a greater range of applications since no lives are at stake, ADD said.

   If the government decides to build an UCAV fleet it may be deployed along the military demarcation line that separate the two Koreas, according to the ADD. The unit could be used in emergencies to strike high-profile missile launch facilities in the North or to attack coast batteries, anti-ship missile installations or long-range multiple rocket launchers, which pose a threat to urban centers in South Korea.

   yonngong@yna.co.kr
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