South Korea’s Army launched a combat unit of weaponized drones on 28 September, that calls the “dronebot,” a combination of the words “drone” and “robot”.

According to the Yonhap, the so-called “dronebot combat unit” consists of 80 soldiers with expertise in driving and maintaining drones.

“The mission of ground forces is ever-growing at a time when the Korean Peninsula is facing a defense uncertainty,” Army Chief of Staff Kim Yong-woo said in a speech to celebrate the launch of the unit.

The unit will carry out their mission as part of an organization of the Army’s third infantry division.

“We are going to turn the Korean military into one of the world’s most tech-savvy armed forces to prepare for possible security threats,” he said.

The unit is comprised of sub-organizations ― including those focusing on scouting out possible security threats and on carrying out combat missions, the Army said.

The launch of the unit comes in line with the military’s ongoing Defense Reform 2.0 drive. Under the plan, the military plans to finish dispatching drones not just to the Army, but Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps by 2024.

As drones are still in its infancy, the military will start using the robots to supply ammunition or other military foods and plans to expand its usage.