Korean will get into developing combat drones with a budget of W500 billion (US$1=W1,129). "We're developing next-generation combat drones and reconnaissance UAVs simultaneously for Army units," a military source said on Monday. "About W500 billion has been earmarked for the projects."

But under Korea-U.S. missile guideline, the military is restricted to a UAV payload size at the level of U.S. drones from the 1990s.