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<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The Agency for Defense Development is developing the weapon, which crashed Wednesday during its first combat test at sea.\n<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
It represented a critical stage in determining whether the system could operate from a naval vessel before deployment.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Flames and powerful exhaust from the launch motor of the upper drone struck the misaligned door on the lower tube, causing it to deform.\n<\/p>\n
That deformation disrupted the reaction force generated during launch and produced an imbalance in thrust immediately after the drone left the launcher.<\/p>\n
The initial launch phase occurs before the aircraft’s aerodynamic control systems become fully effective.<\/p>\n
Rolling and pitching during that uncontrolled interval destabilized the aircraft, preventing it from transitioning to propeller-powered flight before it fell into the sea.<\/p>\n
Investigators said the drone itself and its flight-control system functioned normally.<\/p>\n
Previous launches under similar conditions on land had not produced deformation of the lower launch door or abnormal thrust.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Shipboard conditions also introduce variables not encountered on land, including vibration from waves, salt exposure and harsh weather.<\/p>\n
Researchers now are expected to strengthen heat- and pressure-resistant components and redesign the launcher’s door-locking and alignment mechanisms.<\/p>\n
Discovering the problem before operational deployment could ultimately help improve the reliability of South Korea’s loitering munition system.\n<\/p>\n
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI<\/p>\n
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