Navy to secure manned-unmanned fleet by early 2040s to counter N.K. threats

South Korea’s Navy is planning a broader manned-unmanned fleet to respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. Its main centerpiece is a large carrier that combines crewed and uncrewed capabilities. The Navy is also pursuing nuclear-powered attack submarines, next-generation KDDX destroyers, intelligence collection ships, ballistic missiles, loitering munitions, and missile interceptors.

The planned carrier, described as a drone carrier, will be more than 30,000 tons and carry over 20 unmanned systems. These include combat and reconnaissance drones, suicide unmanned aerial vehicles, swarm-attack vehicles, and mine-warfare surface vessels. Under the Jang Bogo N program, the lead nuclear submarine is planned for launch in the mid-2030s and operational deployment in the late 2030s.

The Navy aims to bring the unmanned carrier system into service in the early 2040s. Its acquisition proposal has gone to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is expected to decide the plan by the end of this year. The timeline shows a long-term modernization effort rather than an immediate deployment.

Manned-unmanned teaming, or MUM-T, means using human-operated military platforms together with uncrewed systems in one coordinated force. The Navy’s proposed fleet is called a drone carrier because its central platform would carry and support many drones. The concept matters because it expands the fleet’s capabilities without relying only on crewed aircraft and ships.

The planned carrier would accommodate more than 20 unmanned systems. The article lists naval combat drones, reconnaissance and suicide unmanned aerial vehicles, swarm-attack systems, and mine-warfare uncrewed surface vehicles. These systems would give the carrier different tools for surveillance, attack, coordinated swarming, and mine operations.

The Navy is developing this concept as part of its effort to incorporate artificial intelligence and drone technologies into modern warfare. It has submitted a requirement proposal to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Navy aims to put the unmanned carrier system into operational service in the early 2040s, if the acquisition plan is finalized.

South Korea’s planned manned-unmanned carrier will be a major warship. It will measure 270 meters in length and 70 meters in width. Its displacement will exceed 30,000 tons. That makes it larger than the light aircraft carrier concept previously considered by the Navy and more than twice the size of the 14,000-ton Dokdo amphibious assault ship.

The platform is designed to accommodate over 20 unmanned systems. The Navy identifies several types: naval combat drones, reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles, suicide unmanned aerial vehicles, swarm-attack systems, and uncrewed surface vehicles for mine warfare. The design therefore supports several missions rather than a single drone role.

The carrier’s size allows it to serve as a central platform for these different systems. The article does not state how many of each type it would carry or provide detailed operating ranges. It does state that the Navy aims to make the unmanned carrier system operational in the early 2040s, subject to the acquisition process.

Combat drones could provide additional ways to strike maritime targets, while reconnaissance drones could search for threats and gather information. Swarm systems could coordinate many uncrewed platforms, creating multiple simultaneous directions of activity. Mine-warfare vehicles could inspect or address dangerous waters without sending a crewed vessel directly into the minefield.

The article connects these capabilities to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. A carrier carrying more than 20 unmanned systems could combine surveillance, attack, and maritime-control missions from one platform. Artificial intelligence and drone technologies are intended to improve the Navy’s modern warfare capabilities, although the article does not describe specific targeting methods or missions.

These systems would not by themselves eliminate the nuclear or missile threat. They are part of a larger plan that includes nuclear-powered attack submarines, destroyers, ballistic missiles, loitering munitions, and SM-3 and SM-6 interceptors. Together, the planned capabilities are meant to strengthen South Korea’s response to evolving maritime security threats.

A navy may combine crewed and uncrewed forces because each offers different strengths. Human-operated ships and aircraft provide judgment, command, and flexible control. Unmanned systems can add numbers and perform specialized tasks. This combination can broaden a fleet’s reach without making every mission depend on a crewed platform.

South Korea’s proposed carrier shows the approach clearly. It would carry over 20 systems, including combat drones, reconnaissance and suicide aerial vehicles, swarm-attack systems, and uncrewed surface vehicles for mine warfare. The crewed carrier would serve as the central platform, while the unmanned systems would perform varied missions around it.

The Navy says it wants to advance modern warfare through artificial intelligence and drone technologies. The article does not claim that unmanned systems will replace human forces. Instead, the MUM-T battle group is presented as a combined force, intended to improve responses to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and other evolving maritime threats.

For the manned-unmanned carrier, the South Korean Navy has submitted a requirement proposal to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The JCS is expected to finalize the acquisition plan by the end of this year. The article does not identify a separate approval body for every other planned weapon or ship, so the JCS is the clearly named decision-maker for the carrier proposal.

The nuclear-submarine effort is called the Jang Bogo N program. The military launched it in May under a summit agreement reached with the United States in October of the previous year. Defense officials reportedly seek to build at least three nuclear-powered attack submarines, each described as an 8,000-ton vessel.

The Navy plans to launch the lead submarine in the mid-2030s and deploy it by the late 2030s. Its reactors would use high-assay low-enriched uranium enriched below 20 percent. The article presents the summit agreement as the program’s political starting point, not as a detailed description of every approval step.

A nuclear-powered attack submarine is a military submarine propelled by energy from a nuclear reactor. The reactor generates heat and electricity, which power the vessel’s propulsion and onboard systems. It is designed for combat missions, unlike a submarine intended mainly for transport or research.

Nuclear propulsion changes endurance because the submarine does not need regular fuel stops like a conventionally powered submarine. It can remain submerged for much longer periods, limited mainly by crew supplies, maintenance, and mission needs. Conventional submarines generally must periodically surface or use a snorkel to recharge batteries and refresh air. The article does not provide specific endurance figures.

South Korea’s Navy plans to launch the lead Jang Bogo N submarine in the mid-2030s and deploy it by the late 2030s. Defense officials reportedly seek at least three 8,000-ton vessels. The submarines would use high-assay low-enriched uranium below 20 percent, supporting Seoul’s planned regional deterrence capability.