South Korea’s Air Force destroyed all 50 drones in a simulated swarm attack during the country’s first live-fire counter-drone exercise on June 23, the military announced, using eight Vulcan cannons in coordinated barrage fire before eliminating the remaining targets with a portable laser and shotguns.
The Air Force Missile Defense Command conducted the drill at a training range on the country’s western coast. Fifty low-flying drones approached in formation from approximately 1,100 yards out.
The eight cannons fired simultaneously, destroying 44 in what the military described as “barrage fire.” One portable laser system and five soldiers carrying shotguns eliminated the remaining six at close range.
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韓国の空軍が50機のドローンの群れを迎撃する訓練をしています pic.twitter.com/7QMTrw7W2n— おちりぷりん (@Southwood_) June 24, 2026
The Vulcan M168 is a 20mm rotary cannon developed in the United States in the 1960s and widely deployed among allied militaries as a short-range counter to low-altitude aircraft. South Korea has operated it for decades.
South Korea did not disclose the manufacturer or power rating of the portable laser used against the final six drones. The Defense Ministry’s June 26 policy announcement identified high-powered microwave (HPM) weapons as an additional directed-energy layer in the broader counter-drone architecture under development.
The exercise came three days before the Defense Ministry announced a sweeping drone policy overhaul that would train 500,000 military personnel as “drone warriors” and field 110,000 domestically built drones across the South Korean armed forces by 2029.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek cited the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East when announcing the June 26 policy package, characterising drone warfare as a capability that can no longer be confined to specialist units.
“Drones should no longer be equipment for specialists,” Ahn told reporters in Seoul. “They should be a standard item for each soldier.”
The plan calls for 110,000 domestically produced drones to be distributed across the army, navy, air force, and marines by 2029, with an initial procurement of more than 20,000 low-cost expendable systems in the near term.
The ministry also announced accelerated fielding of K-Lucas, a domestically developed long-range loitering munition, and the restructuring of the existing Drone Operations Command into a new Defence Drone Headquarters.
Total active-duty military strength in South Korea stands at approximately 500,000 personnel, meaning the “drone warriors” target covers the entire serving force.
The Defense Ministry said the policy was driven directly by the North Korean threat. North Korea flew drones over South Korean territory in December 2022, including into restricted airspace near Seoul, which the military failed to intercept.
North Korea has also accused South Korea of drone incursions. South Korea’s government confirmed in February 2026 that three civilians had flown drones across the border on four separate occasions. President Lee Jae-myung expressed regret to North Korea over those incursions in April 2026.
South Korea’s Air Force said the June 23 drill was the first live-fire exercise it had conducted specifically against a simulated drone swarm.
