Recon drones spot targets, suicide drones strike in Army's future warfare drill

Reconnaissance drones identified simulated enemy positions at the Yangpyeong General Training Ground on Wednesday, enabling an AI system to recommend weapons before a battalion commander ordered mortar and suicide-drone strikes. The Army TIGER+ exercise demonstrated integrated operations involving drones, robots, soldiers, armored vehicles, counter-drone defenses, minefield clearance and unmanned resupply. Army leaders said future operations should center on unmanned systems supervised by people, but acknowledged that one-to-many control and system integration remain challenges.

The exercise operated 19 reconnaissance drones of nine types, including multispectral imaging and radio-frequency detection drones.

A 120-millimeter self-propelled mortar fired after officers reviewed an AI-based weapons recommendation and the battalion commander made the final decision.

The exercise included a Cheongwang laser air defense weapon, a vehicle-mounted smart jammer and K21 armored vehicles using multipurpose rounds against incoming drones.

The Army plans to expand manned-unmanned combat squad trials to a company-sized unit in 2027 and a battalion-sized unit in 2028.

Army officials said unmanned resupply systems could reduce personnel requirements and deliver ammunition and first-aid kits to areas exposed to shellfire or chemical contamination.

Published Oct 15, 2026 11:23 am KST

AI aids battlefield decisions as troops, robots work together

Soldiers advance behind unmanned systems under the cover of a rifle-equipped drone during an integrated unmanned combat demonstration at the Yangpyeong General Training Ground in Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Courtesy of the ROK Army

YANGPYEONG, Gyeonggi Province — Reconnaissance drones swept across the sky, searching for enemy positions. Their live footage reached a command post, where an artificial intelligence (AI)-based decision-support system recommended weapons for an attack.

Once a battalion commander gave the order, a 120-millimeter self-propelled mortar fired, followed by explosive-laden drones diving toward their targets.

The sequence was part of the Army’s Army TIGER+ integrated combat exercise at the Yangpyeong General Training Ground, Wednesday, offering a close-up look at how South Korea plans to fight with soldiers, drones and robots working together.

The demonstration covered reconnaissance, strikes, minefield clearance, counter-drone defense, an armored advance and resupply — with unmanned equipment sent into dangerous areas before troops moved in.

The first to appear were short-range reconnaissance drones. Several flew simultaneously, transmitting images to the command post. One drone fitted with a rifle demonstrated how the same aircraft could both locate and attack a target.

They were followed by battalion-level multipurpose reconnaissance drones and a group of drones controlled from a single ground station. Multispectral imaging and radio-frequency detection drones added another layer of surveillance.

“Today, we’re operating 19 reconnaissance drones of nine types,” an Army official said, explaining that live video feeds gave commanders a clearer view of the simulated battlefield.

The information was put to use almost immediately. After a drone identified an enemy position, officers reviewed the firepower recommended by the AI system. The battalion commander made the final decision, and the mortar fired.

Three grenade-carrying suicide drones were then dispatched against a simulated concentration of enemy troops.

Drones, multipurpose unmanned ground vehicles and quadruped robots advance ahead of soldiers as a smoke-screening drone obscures the simulated enemy's view during an integrated unmanned combat demonstration at the Yangpyeong General Training Ground in Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Courtesy of the ROK Army

Next came the minefield. Rather than sending soldiers straight into the hazardous area, the Army deployed unmanned reconnaissance vehicles, drones and engineering equipment to check the ground and locate enemy positions.

Attack drones struck simulated trenches as smoke screened the advance. While unmanned systems checked the minefield and enemy defenses, mixed teams of soldiers and machines moved to secure key ground on either side of the route.

A K21 armored vehicle carrying a manned-unmanned combat squad then entered the area, firing on the move and hitting its target. From a drone station mounted on the vehicle, a first-person-view (FPV) drone took off to attack another position.

The Army also demonstrated how it would defend against hostile drones. After a drone command post separated friendly aircraft from incoming threats, a vehicle-mounted anti-drone defense system used a smart jammer.

A K21 armored vehicle then fired multipurpose rounds at the incoming drones. Then the Cheongwang laser air defense weapon fired at a drone overhead. It caught fire and fell from the sky.

A reconnaissance drone observes and identifies targets for long-range precision strikes during the Army TIGER+ exercise at the Yangpyeong General Training Ground in Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Courtesy of the ROK Army

With the route secured, combat engineers cleared a passage through the minefield while attack drones provided cover. An unmanned lead team moved through first, followed by K2 tanks and K21 armored vehicles pushing into simulated enemy defenses.

Soldiers dismounted to fight through the final position and secure the objective, relying on information gathered by drones overhead and unmanned vehicles on the ground.

The exercise ended with a less dramatic but equally practical demonstration of unmanned resupply operations. Transport drones carried ammunition and first-aid kits to troops at the captured position, while unmanned ground vehicles brought additional supplies.

An Army official said such systems could reduce the number of personnel needed for resupply and reach areas exposed to shellfire or chemical contamination.

At a policy briefing before the exercise, Maj. Gen. Lee Kyung-jin, the Army’s policy chief, said the goal was to reverse the current relationship between troops and unmanned equipment.

“Right now, unmanned systems support soldiers,” Lee said. “We want to move toward a system centered on unmanned equipment, with people providing command and control.”

But the equipment on display also highlighted a manpower problem. For now, each drone or robot generally needs its own operator.

“If you want to operate 10 drones, you need 10 people,” Lee said. “Our goal is a one-to-many system,” allowing one person to operate several machines.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Kyu-ha said that would require more than buying additional drones.

“We need an integrated, multilayered network,” Kim said. “A digital backbone is essential to move from one-to-one control to one-to-many supervision.”

Brig. Gen. Nam Seung-hyun, the Army’s deputy chief for military innovation, identified integration as a major hurdle.

“We already have many of the individual technologies in Korea,” Nam said. “The challenge is how to bring them together and operate them as one system.”

The Army began testing a manned-unmanned combat squad in July and plans to expand the trials to a company-sized unit in 2027 and a battalion-sized unit in 2028. The results will help determine how such units are organized and operated.

周三，侦察无人机在杨平综合训练场识别出模拟敌方阵地，随后人工智能系统在营长下令进行迫击炮和自杀式无人机打击前推荐了武器。此次陆军“虎+”演习展示了无人机、机器人、士兵、装甲车辆、反无人机防御系统、雷区清除和无人补给等协同作战能力。陆军领导人表示，未来的作战行动应以人员指挥的无人系统为中心，但也承认一对多控制和系统集成仍然是挑战。

此次演习动用了 19 架侦察无人机，分属 9 个类型，其中包括多光谱成像无人机和射频探测无人机。

在军官们审查了基于人工智能的武器建议后，营长做出了最终决定，随后发射了一门 120 毫米自行迫击炮。

此次演习包括使用“青王”激光防空武器、车载智能干扰器和K21装甲车，并使用多用途弹药对抗来袭无人机。

陆军计划在 2027 年将有人/无人作战班组的试验扩大到连级单位，在 2028 年扩大到营级单位。

陆军官员表示，无人补给系统可以减少人员需求，并将弹药和急救包运送到遭受炮火或化学污染的地区。

发布于2026年10月15日上午11:23（韩国标准时间）

人工智能辅助战场决策，部队和机器人协同作战

周三，在京畿道杨平综合训练场举行的联合无人作战演习中，士兵们在配备步枪的无人机掩护下，跟随无人系统向前推进。图片由韩国陆军提供。

京畿道杨平——侦察无人机在空中盘旋，搜寻敌方阵地。它们拍摄的实时画面传回指挥中心，由人工智能（AI）决策支持系统推荐攻击武器。

营长下达命令后，一门 120 毫米自行迫击炮开火，随后装载炸药的无人机俯冲向目标。

这段视频是韩国陆军周三在杨平综合训练场举行的“陆军虎+”综合作战演习的一部分，让人们近距离了解韩国计划如何利用士兵、无人机和机器人协同作战。

此次演习涵盖了侦察、打击、清除雷区、反无人机防御、装甲推进和补给——在部队进入危险区域之前，无人设备被派往该区域。

最先出现的是短程侦察无人机。数架无人机同时飞行，将图像传回指挥所。其中一架装有步枪的无人机演示了同一架飞机如何同时定位和攻击目标。

随后，营级多用途侦察无人机和一组由同一地面站控制的无人机也加入了侦察。多光谱成像和射频探测无人机则进一步加强了监视力度。

一位陆军官员表示：“目前，我们正在操作 19 架 9 种类型的侦察无人机。”他解释说，实时视频流让指挥官能够更清楚地了解模拟战场的情况。

信息几乎立即投入使用。无人机识别出敌方阵地后，军官们审查了人工智能系统推荐的火力。营长做出最终决定，迫击炮随即开火。

随后，三架携带手榴弹的自杀式无人机被派往模拟的敌军集结地。

周三，在京畿道杨平综合训练场举行的无人机联合作战演习中，无人机、多用途无人地面车辆和四足机器人走在士兵前面，一架烟雾弹无人机遮蔽了模拟敌军的视线。图片由韩国陆军提供。

接下来是雷区。陆军没有直接派遣士兵进入危险区域，而是部署了无人侦察车、无人机和工程设备来勘察地形并确定敌方阵地。

攻击型无人机袭击了模拟战壕，烟雾掩护着进攻部队。在无人系统侦察雷区和敌方防御工事的同时，由士兵和机械组成的混合小组向道路两侧的关键地带推进，以确保安全。

一辆载有有人/无人作战班的K21装甲车随后进入该区域，边行边射击并击中目标。与此同时，一架安装在装甲车上的无人机站起飞，一架第一人称视角（FPV）无人机升空攻击另一个阵地。

陆军还演示了如何防御敌方无人机。无人机指挥所将友军飞机与来袭威胁区分开来后，车载反无人机防御系统使用了智能干扰器。

随后，一辆K21装甲车向来袭的无人机发射了多用途炮弹。接着，青王激光防空武器击中了一架高空无人机。无人机起火并坠落。

周三，在京畿道杨平综合训练场举行的陆军“虎+”演习中，一架侦察无人机正在观察并识别目标，以便进行远程精确打击。图片由韩国陆军提供。

路线安全后，工兵部队在攻击无人机的掩护下，清理出一条穿越雷区的通道。一支无人先导小组率先通过，随后K2坦克和K21装甲车向模拟敌方防御阵地推进。

士兵们下车作战，攻占最后阵地，夺取目标，依靠空中无人机和地面无人车辆收集的信息。

演习最后以一场虽不那么引人注目但同样实用的无人补给行动演示结束。运输无人机向占领阵地的部队运送了弹药和急救包，而无人地面车辆则运送了其他补给品。

一位陆军官员表示，此类系统可以减少补给所需的人员数量，并能到达遭受炮火或化学污染的地区。

在演习前的一次政策简报会上，陆军政策主任李京镇少将表示，目标是扭转目前部队与无人装备之间的关系。

李说：“目前，无人系统主要为士兵提供支持。我们希望朝着以无人设备为中心，由人员进行指挥和控制的系统发展。”

但展出的设备也凸显了人力不足的问题。目前，每架无人机或机器人通常都需要一名操作员。

李说：“如果你想操作10架无人机，就需要10个人。我们的目标是实现一对多的系统”，让一个人可以操作多台机器。

陆军参谋长金圭河上将表示，这需要的不仅仅是购买更多的无人机。

金说：“我们需要一个集成化的多层网络。数字骨干网对于从一对一控制向一对多监管的转变至关重要。”

陆军军事创新副总参谋长南承铉准将认为，整合是一个主要障碍。

“韩国已经拥有许多相关的单项技术，”南先生说。“现在的挑战是如何将它们整合起来，并作为一个系统来运行。”

陆军于7月开始测试有人/无人作战班组，并计划在2027年将试验规模扩大到连级单位，在2028年扩大到营级单位。试验结果将有助于确定此类单位的组织和运作方式。