South Korea to deploy drones to track North Korean troops

April 7 (UPI) -- South Korea's military is to deploy drones to conduct 24-hour monitoring operations of North Korea near the demilitarized zone.

According to Seoul's military, the unmanned aerial vehicles are to be placed in position at the border by May, local news service Newsis reported.

The drones would track down and identify signs of North Korea weapons deployment near the DMZ, according to the report.

More than 10 drones are to be deployed to the front lines in early May and a total of 30 drones are to be introduced gradually to the armed forces by 2021.

Seoul's defense ministry said in January it budgeted $76.5 million for the project.

The drone missions would be used to recognize early-stage weapons and North Korea military buildup at the border, and play a "major role" in identifying key targets, Seoul's military said.

The unmanned aerial vehicles have a 4-meter wingspan and have a length of 3.4 meters.

The drones can detect objects more than 6 miles away and when two units take turns in the mission, the precise movements of North Korea troops can be monitored for 24 hours, Seoul said.

Images captured by the drone's camera undergo analysis, and in a combat scenario, the military division would use the information to decide whether or not to stage a strike.

The drone can engineer an emergency landing by parachute and stage landings in mountainous terrain, according to the report.