US Marines examine Nereus Archer drones at Rodriguez Range in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, during a live-fire first-person-view attack drone training exercise on Wednesday. [Provided by Defense Daily]
US Marines examine Nereus Archer drones at Rodriguez Range in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, during a live-fire first-person-view attack drone training exercise on Wednesday. [Provided by Defense Daily]

The heat index hovered near 37 degrees Celsius at Rodriguez Range in Yeongpyeong-ri, Yeongjung-myeon, Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. Over the radio, a low voice said: "Splash."

Three seconds after a red flash erupted at a command post 2.5 kilometers away, a heavy boom rolled across the range. It was the first live-fire exercise using first-person-view (FPV) attack drones ever conducted by US Marines on the Korean Peninsula.

USFK said Thursday that Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, participating in the Korea Marine Exercise Program (KMEP), carried out the live-fire drill with quadcopter suicide drones called the Nereus Archer on Wednesday.

Beginning with the first drone launch around 4 p.m. that day, six drones were deployed in succession, striking two targets 900 meters away one after another.

The Nereus Archer costs around 7 million won ($4,910) per unit and operates on a "hit-to-kill" principle, destroying targets through direct impact. The drone has a maximum range of 25 kilometers, a top speed of 130 kilometers per hour, a payload capacity of 3 kilograms and can penetrate 100 millimeters of rolled homogeneous armor.

US Marines guide an explosive-laden Nereus Archer drone into a target during a live-fire first-person-view attack drone training exercise at Rodriguez Range in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday. [Provided by Defense Daily]
US Marines guide an explosive-laden Nereus Archer drone into a target during a live-fire first-person-view attack drone training exercise at Rodriguez Range in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday. [Provided by Defense Daily]

The exercise was conducted solely by US Marines. It was also unusual for the US side to open a KMEP drill to media coverage. The event came roughly a week after a communication breakdown between South Korean and US forces nearly led to South Korean troops firing on a USFK drone. Asked about the incident, Col. Peter Anckney, deputy commander of US Marine Corps Forces Korea, said "what has been disclosed to the media is all there is."

Anckney said the core focus was combined readiness, describing the exercise as "a process of demonstrating capabilities on the Korean Peninsula's terrain and establishing standard operating procedures and tactics, techniques and procedures with the South Korean military." On pressing ahead with the drill despite extreme heat, he said the unit "could have canceled, but proceeded in strict accordance with heat-illness mitigation SOPs."

Kenneth Innocencio, head of Nereus' Asia-Pacific business division, said the company's goal was "to supply unmanned capabilities to allied nations without relying on Chinese-made components," adding that the Nereus Archer was "the first FPV drone to receive the US Defense Department's Blue UAS certification and contains virtually no Chinese-made parts." The remarks reflect how Washington's push to counter Chinese influence has extended to the procurement of unmanned systems.

A US Marine official said "the weather on the battlefield is not something we can control," adding that directly experiencing not only Korea's distinctive terrain but also the intense heat and humidity of Korean summers and the bitter cold of its winters was "an invaluable opportunity."


rimsclub@heraldcorp.com