March 16 (Asia Today) -- Military experts say South Korea would need a layered anti-drone defense system if the Cheonghae Unit is deployed near the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian and Iran-backed forces could pose a growing threat using low-cost attack drones.
The issue gained urgency after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly called on South Korea on Friday to send a warship to help ensure freedom of navigation in the strategic waterway.
Defense analysts say the more important question is not only whether South Korea would dispatch forces, but whether its military is prepared for the kind of drone warfare now seen in the Middle East and Ukraine.
In recent conflicts, low-cost one-way attack drones have emerged as a major threat. Experts say Iran's Shahed-136 drone, in particular, has demonstrated how relatively inexpensive systems can overwhelm traditional air defenses when launched in large numbers.
Analysts describe the imbalance as a cost problem in modern air defense. A drone costing tens of thousands of dollars can force a defender to use interceptors worth far more, raising questions about the long-term sustainability of missile-based defenses alone.
