A loitering munition is launched from the 14,000-ton Marado amphibious assault ship in waters off the southern port city of Busan, South Korea, 25 August 2026 (issued 26 August 2026). The Navy aborted the combat test of a loitering munition after the drone, set to strike a nearby target boat, plunged into the sea shortly after launch. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
Aug. 28 (Asia Today) — A South Korean medium-size loitering munition crashed during a shipboard combat test after a mechanical defect in its launcher caused uneven thrust immediately after launch, defense officials said Friday.
The Agency for Defense Development is developing the weapon, which crashed Wednesday during its first combat test at sea.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said at a briefing at the Defense Ministry that investigators concluded the failure was caused not by the drone’s electronics or software but by a small alignment defect in a door on the multiple-launch system.
The test was intended to verify a rocket-assisted launch system in which the unmanned aircraft is stored inside a launch tube and propelled into the air before switching to its propeller engine.
It represented a critical stage in determining whether the system could operate from a naval vessel before deployment.
Investigators found that a gap in the alignment of the left door of the lower launch tube existed when the drone was fired from the upper tube of a two-level launcher.
Flames and powerful exhaust from the launch motor of the upper drone struck the misaligned door on the lower tube, causing it to deform.
That deformation disrupted the reaction force generated during launch and produced an imbalance in thrust immediately after the drone left the launcher.
The initial launch phase occurs before the aircraft’s aerodynamic control systems become fully effective.
Rolling and pitching during that uncontrolled interval destabilized the aircraft, preventing it from transitioning to propeller-powered flight before it fell into the sea.
Investigators said the drone itself and its flight-control system functioned normally.
Previous launches under similar conditions on land had not produced deformation of the lower launch door or abnormal thrust.
The incident therefore was attributed not to the performance of the aircraft itself but to a problem involving system integration and hardware manufacturing control between the launcher and the drone.
The accident demonstrated how even a small mechanical deformation at the physical interface between an advanced aircraft and its launch platform can disrupt an entire weapons system.
Shipboard conditions also introduce variables not encountered on land, including vibration from waves, salt exposure and harsh weather.
Researchers now are expected to strengthen heat- and pressure-resistant components and redesign the launcher’s door-locking and alignment mechanisms.
Discovering the problem before operational deployment could ultimately help improve the reliability of South Korea’s loitering munition system.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260828010009936