Chinese parts slow Korea’s plan for 500,000 drone soldiers

By Amara Osei

South Korea set aside 20.5 billion won in its 2026 defense budget for a plan to train 500,000 “drone soldiers,” even though more than 70% of roughly 600 domestic drone companies use Chinese-made parts.

What does South Korea’s 2026 plan fund?

In September 2025, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back attended a ceremony at the Army’s 36th Division in Wonju, Gangwon State. He designated a unit to test small drones and counter-drone systems and announced the 500,000-person training plan.

The program aims to place commercial training drones with localized core components across the military. Its stated goal is to let every service member earn drone-piloting credentials and gain hands-on experience after enlistment.

The ministry plans to acquire about 11,000 low-cost, expendable commercial small drones. It will distribute at least one per squad to every standing Army unit and training institution.

On Nov. 2, 14 months after the ceremony, the ministry launched the Defense Drone Command, which reports directly to the ministry. The command will lead combat development and changes to force structure and technology in drones and counter-drone systems. The launch reflects the ministry’s assessment that drones have changed modern warfare.

The command will also run civil-military cooperation to support the domestic drone industry. Seoul plans to localize military drones and create a certification and procurement system modeled on the U.S. Blue UAS program, allowing immediate purchases of commercial drones with certified performance.

Parts standardization and supply-chain cooperation with the United States and other friendly nations will support Seoul’s effort to reduce reliance on Chinese-made batteries and motors. By 2030, the ministry aims to secure 20,000 low-cost drones, including suicide drones, and deploy the Korean long-range unmanned combat aerial system, K-LUCAS.

Takeaway: The 2026 budget starts the program, while the inventory and deployment targets run to 2030.

Where does Chinese supply-chain exposure sit?

According to the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee, more than 70% of roughly 600 Korean drone companies use Chinese-made components. Only about 21% of drone batteries, 26% of motors and 38% of flight controllers are made in Korea.

Chinese parts also create a military security risk. A backdoor could expose information about the operating areas of military drones, while an opaque supply chain leaves the source of hardware uncertain. The ministry must verify:

• Flight-control units
• Controllers
• Cameras
• Data links
• Communications modules
• GPS devices

Verification procedures must establish the actual manufacturer and supply route for each part.

Takeaway: Chinese parts remain a military security issue as well as a cost problem.

Can procurement close the cost and capacity gap?

Localization will not expand output without actual orders and capital investment. The price gap reinforces the problem: a Chinese motor delivering the same thrust costs about 100,000 won, while a domestic equivalent costs more than 200,000 won. The difference drives buyers back to Chinese parts.

The Agency for Defense Development says component prices need higher production volumes. Ko Deok-gon, acting head of the agency, said:

“To secure price competitiveness, mass-production volumes have to rise. If the military presents sufficient procurement volumes, unit production costs can come down and firms can compete with Chinese companies, which will also speed up the localization of drones.”

Industry officials say government should help finance production lines and facilities, reducing capital costs that small firms cannot absorb. Without that relief, localized components cannot move into mass production. They want support at the production stage, not only in research and development, to establish an early domestic ecosystem.

Some industry participants want the Defense Innovation Companies 100 program to support component suppliers producing motors, batteries, flight-control units and communications devices, not only makers of complete drones. Stable procurement also requires suppliers to maintain production capacity and meet delivery schedules; industry participants say gaps in either make the drone market harder to expand.

Takeaway: Firm orders, lower unit costs and production support will determine whether Korea closes the parts gap.