| 31st Division-U+ Demonstrate Military Drone Service at Sea
High-speed capture of high-capacity images with 5G-based drones
Immediate response to emergencies possible through real-time video transmission

LG Uplus announced on the 17th that it conducted a demonstration of maritime operations based on military drones for about 10 minutes near Jukdo and Hyeoldo, located 1.6 km west of Musulmok, Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, in cooperation with the 31st Infantry Division.

The maritime operation demonstration conducted on the afternoon of the 16th presented various ways to utilize drones, including real-time response to maritime situations, coastal search and reconnaissance, response to high-speed infiltration situations, search inside buildings, garrison security, and aerial search within blockade lines using U+ Smart Drone.

The real-time response to the maritime situation was the most notable. The 31st Division searched for and discovered an unidentified vessel using a drone, and confirmed two people inside the vessel using a thermal imaging camera. Afterwards, they demonstrated broadcasting a warning directly through a VoLTE speaker mounted on the drone.

As the unidentified vessel fled, a drone was used to track it for about 300 meters, and operational coordination was carried out to enable the Yeosu Coast Guard to subdue the vessel. At the 31st Division Headquarters in Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, located about 120km away from the site, the operational situation was monitored and controlled in real time through the U+ Smart Drone control system.

Drones were also utilized in coastal search and reconnaissance and high-speed infiltration response scenarios, which were demonstrated in advance of maritime operations. The coastal search and reconnaissance involved drones scanning cliffs and coastlines that are difficult for humans to monitor directly; upon discovering a wetsuit and goggles at a specific location, the drones immediately transmitted the corresponding coordinates. The high-speed infiltration response involved racing drones waiting in advance to track a suspect vehicle breaking through a ground checkpoint at high speed, attaching a GPS device to the vehicle to enable the command and control center to monitor the fleeing vehicle.

In the preliminary demonstration, drones performed roles such as searching the interior of a building and guarding a base. The interior search scenario was staged to identify an unidentified explosive device, highlighting the potential of drones to replace human personnel. At the garrison perimeter, 31st Division guards spotted a suspicious person nearby at night and captured the scene using electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) images from a drone, demonstrating enhanced situational response capabilities.

Major General So Young-min, Commander of the 31st Division, stated, “Having been assigned the mission to conduct combat experiments on the Army’s dronebot combat system, we have been building consensus among the civilian, military, and police sectors since last year. As a result of the collective deliberation and efforts of stakeholders to establish a system that prioritizes public safety, we were able to successfully complete the experiment today.” He added, “Moving forward, the division and relevant agencies will continue to pool our strength and wisdom to ensure that drones serve as a general-purpose force, playing a key role in safeguarding national security and protecting the lives and property of the people.”

Seo Jae-yong, Senior Vice President of LG Uplus’s Enterprise 5G Business, emphasized, “The 5G-based U+ Smart Drone enables immediate response to emergency situations by capturing high-capacity images at high speed and transmitting them in real time,” adding, “In the future, we will continuously expand the utilization of drones by integrating AI and big data into control systems and fostering cooperation among the public, private, and military sectors.”

Meanwhile, two drones from manufacturer U-Sys and one from Wemake were used in the demonstration on this day. Two TB-504 models were used for reconnaissance and photography, respectively, while one BlackCamel model was utilized for warning broadcasts via VoLTE speakers. Each drone moved at an altitude of 50 to 70 meters at a speed of 15 to 55 km/h and flew while maintaining a distance of more than 10 meters from each other using forward collision avoidance and automatic avoidance functions.