Recon, suicide drones spot targets, strike in Army's future warfare drill

YANGPYEONG, Gyeonggi Province — Reconnaissance drones swept across the sky, searching for enemy positions. Their live footage reached a command post, where an artificial intelligence (AI)-based decision-support system recommended weapons for an attack. Once a battalion commander gave the order, a 120-millimeter self-propelled mortar fired, followed by explosive-laden drones diving toward their targets. The sequence was part of the Army’s Army TIGER+ integrated combat exercise at the Yangpyeong General Training Ground, Wednesday, offering a close-up look at how Korea plans to fight with soldiers, drones and robots working together. The demonstration covered reconnaissance, strikes, minefield clearance, counter-drone defense, an armored advance and resupply — with unmanned equipment sent into dangerous areas before troops moved in. The first to appear were short-range reconnaissance drones. Several flew simultaneously, transmitting images to the command post. One drone fitted with a rifle demonstrated how the same aircraft could both locate and attack a target. They were followed by b