The South Korean military has finalized a contract with a Polish manufacturer to deploy several hundred Polish-made suicide drones (UAVs) by the end of the year, as part of a rapid response to North Korea’s accelerated drone development.
According to the Ministry of National Defense on October 2, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) signed an agreement with WB Electronics, a Polish company, during the International Defense Exhibition held at Gyeryongdae, South Chungcheong Province.
The contract involves the acquisition of “Warmate” suicide drones, which are set to be delivered in November and deployed to Army units and the Drone Operations Command in December. The military has not disclosed the exact number or cost of the drones, but sources suggest that the contract is worth approximately 14 billion won (about $10 million), involving fewer than 200 drones.
The decision to expedite the contract before the year’s end is tied to recent developments in North Korea. In August, North Korea’s state-run Rodong Sinmun revealed that Kim Jong-un had overseen the unveiling of a suicide drone for the first time, similar to Russian and Iranian models, during a visit to the National Defense Science Institute’s UAV research facility.
North Korean media also showed the drone targeting a mock-up of South Korea’s K2 tank, and Kim reportedly ordered their mass production, signaling Pyongyang’s intent to use suicide drones as conventional weapons alongside rockets and ballistic missiles.
The South Korean military, which had already been considering the purchase of suicide drones, acted swiftly following these developments. In June, then-Defense Minister Shin Won-sik discussed acquiring Polish drones during talks with his Polish counterpart, and a delegation, including officials from the Ministry of National Defense, DAPA, and the Drone Operations Command, visited Poland in July to assess the performance and battlefield suitability of the drones.
By the end of August, the military had submitted a formal request to DAPA for overseas drone procurement, with North Korea’s advancements serving as a catalyst for accelerating the timeline.
A military official noted that the Polish drones had proven their capabilities during the ongoing Ukraine war and that their well-established mass production system was another advantage. The Warmate, for instance, was used by Ukraine in April to destroy a Russian mobile radar station, demonstrating its high performance. The South Korean military also highlighted the cost-effectiveness of the Polish drones compared to other options.
The decision was also influenced by the needs of the Drone Operations Command, established in September last year, which requires a large supply of expendable suicide drones. The domestic supply of such drones has been limited, with local manufacturers focusing on surveillance and reconnaissance drones, which have wider market applications beyond defense.
However, the demand for suicide drones, which require warheads, is confined to the defense sector, making it difficult to source proven models locally. As drones become an increasingly crucial element in modern warfare, waiting for the development of domestic alternatives was no longer feasible.
Additionally, Poland’s purchase of more than 20 trillion won (approximately $15 billion) worth of Korean military equipment, including K9 self-propelled howitzers, since 2022, played a role in this decision. The military official added that strengthening reciprocal defense cooperation with Poland could enhance the image of South Korean defense products and facilitate further expansion into international markets.
BY KEUNPYUNG LEE, YOUNGNAM KIM [lee.keunpyung@joongang.co.kr]
