It was found that all the medium suicide drones the military is developing that crashed into the sea during a sea-launched combat experiment on the 25th did so due to a simple defect in the drone launch tube. There were no defects in the drone airframes or systems.
The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) on the 28th released initial analysis results to reporters on the cause of the suicide drones' sea crashes. ADD analyzed the cause by comparing the drones' wireless status data, footage obtained near the launch tubes, and test results under similar conditions.
According to ADD's explanation, the launcher used at the time had launch tubes arranged in two tiers, upper and lower. Among them, the left door of the lower launch tube had an "alignment abnormality." The point is that the launch tube door was installed with a slight twist, making it structurally abnormal. As a result, when a drone was launched from the upper launch tube, the balance of thrust (airframe propulsion) broke due to pressure, the drone was launched in an unstable attitude, and ultimately fell into the sea, ADD's initial investigation found.
ADD did not confirm this phenomenon on site. That is because the structural deformation of the launch tube door occurred momentarily at the time of the drone launch and then quickly returned to its original state. The military identified the alignment abnormality of the launch tube door during video analysis. An ADD official said, "The operating status of the drone and the overall system was confirmed to be normal," and added, "As developers, we more than anyone else regret that a simple defect led to the worst outcome."
ADD said it had conducted dozens of ground test launches with the same launch tubes before, with no crashes. An ADD official said, "It appears the launch tube alignment abnormality occurred during processes such as moving the launcher, loading cargo, or assembly." ADD is conducting additional investigations to identify the detailed cause.
The suicide drones that failed to take off this time were produced as part of ADD's core technology research and development project that began in 2024. The project aims to secure low Earth orbit satellite integrated linkage, automatic target recognition (ATR) capability, and design technology development. The amount invested through this year is 48.6 billion won. The suicide drone's external form is a fixed-wing type with a wingspan of about 3 meters and a length of about 2 meters. An EO/IR lens is mounted in the nose, and a propeller engine is used as the power source.
ADD said it has already secured core technologies related to operating the medium suicide drone through dozens of ground test launches. Accordingly, it decided to wrap up the project next month as planned without additional sea test launches.
The Navy and ADD on the 25th conducted their first combat experiment operating a medium suicide drone at sea from the large transport ship Marado (LPH, 14,500-ton class) in the southern sea. However, the two suicide drones launched crashed into the sea within seconds. At the time, the military, confident of success, had opened the site to the media when the crashes occurred.