South Korea plans to buy Warmate drones from Poland

South Korea is considering the purchase of Warmate drones from Poland to strengthen its defence capabilities.

Here's What We Know

Seoul is planning to send a delegation to Warsaw to inspect Warmate unmanned aerial vehicles. The delegation will assess the suitability of Polish-made UAVs for operations on the Korean peninsula.

The day before, Warsaw reportedly asked Seoul to purchase their weapons systems during Defence Minister Shin Won Sik's visit to the country last month. Interestingly, the South Korean military has shown interest in Poland's Warmate because it has proven its combat capability in Ukraine.

"Since Polish drones are now being used in real combat operations, [we] will review whether there are areas that can be used by our military," said a spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Defence.

It is worth noting that in 2022, Poland signed agreements with South Korean defence companies to purchase various weapons systems, including FA-50 jet aircraft, K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers and Chunmoo rocket artillery systems.

"The demand for small unmanned aerial vehicles in our army has increased, and Poland has bought a lot of our weapons," the official added, "If there is a type of drone that our military wants, it will be a good match.

Flashback

The Warmate is a Polish unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the kamikaze drone class developed by WB Electronics. It is designed to perform reconnaissance, surveillance and target engagement missions. The Warmate is capable of carrying various types of warheads, including multiple-explosive and high-explosive, which allows it to effectively destroy armoured vehicles and other targets. The drone has a range of up to 30 km and can stay in the air for up to 60 minutes. It is capable of manual and automatic control, as well as quick preparation for launch, making it an effective tool on the battlefield.

Source: Yonhap