On the 1st, through the Armed Forces Day parade marking the 77th anniversary of the military's founding at Gyeryongdae in South Chungcheong Province, the Armed Forces unveiled a large number of new weapons, including manned-unmanned teaming systems. The military authorities reduced the scale of the commemorative event compared with last year, taking into account personnel, equipment, and budget.
According to the military authorities, about 40 types and more than 100 units of weapons systems appeared at the parade presided over by President Lee Jae-myung. Unveiled systems included a low-observable unmanned loyal wingman capable of surveillance, reconnaissance, strike, and electronic warfare missions; small and medium-sized loitering munitions that preemptively strike enemy threats; and a multipurpose advanced stealth drone that can infiltrate covertly to conduct missions from reconnaissance to precision strikes.
The military's future capabilities also made their debut, including an explosive ordnance detection and disposal robot that detects and removes explosives and locates mines, an autonomous exploration robot that performs missions in areas such as underground facilities where communications are impossible, and a multi-robot cooperative autonomy system. In addition, a legged robot, a small shooting drone, an autonomous underwater mine search system, an unmanned reconnaissance vehicle, and a large-class unmanned underwater vehicle also appeared.
Weapons systems responsible for defense exports were also shown to the public. They included the Cheonmu multiple launch rocket system; the Cheongung II, an indigenous medium-range surface-to-air guided weapon capable of intercepting aircraft and ballistic missiles; the long-range surface-to-air guided weapon (L-SAM), which can intercept enemy missiles at altitudes above 40 kilometers; and the K9 self-propelled howitzer and K2 tank, which are exported worldwide.
In addition, the Hyunmoo-5, first revealed during the city march on Armed Forces Day 4th, also appeared. The Hyunmoo-5, whose warhead weighs as much as 8 tons, is a missile designed to destroy underground bunkers where enemy leadership is hiding, and is a means of the Korea-style "three-axis system," the Kill Chain, Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR), and Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD).
In the aerial segment, the indigenous light attack helicopter, Apache helicopters, the indigenous utility helicopter Surion, and the Marine Corps' amphibious utility helicopter Marineon appeared. The Air Force's main assets, including the Korean fighter KF-21, the F-35A, and the F-15K, also took to the skies.