South Korea is set to double its military drone fleet by 2026 to bolster its defense capabilities against threats from North Korean unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Seoul’s Presidential Office announced the plan on Thursday following a meeting of the Presidential Defense Innovation Committee, a government-led group responsible for devising strategies for enhancing the ROK’s defense capabilities. 

The ROK aims to double the number of its military drones by 2026 and effectively combat North Korean UAVs through “diversified acquisition strategies involving rapid procurement and accelerated research and development of domestic commercial drones,” according to a press release from the Presidential Office.