오산 공군기지, 북한의 드론 위협 대응훈련 실시

[위종민]

8월 6일 오산공군기지에서 한미합동 드론 대응훈련인 Dragon Flight 훈련이 실시됐네요. 중량 50~1,320파운드, 최대 18,000피트, 비행속도 250노트 미만의 그룹 3 드론 대처방안을 주로 연습한 모양입니다. 그동안은 더 작은 그룹1, 2와 탄도미사일 대응 훈련을 주로 실시했다고 하네요. 

한국 공군은 언론에 공개한 훈련에서 군집드론 상대로 20mm 발칸포대 대공사격을 실시하면서 빈축을 샀는데, 이번 훈련은 뭐가 달랐을지.. 

오산 훈련, 북한의 커지는 드론 위협에 대응

2026년 8월 20일 | 토드 사우스

2026년 8월 6일 대한민국 오산 공군기지에서 실시된 Dragon Flight 훈련 중, 미 공군 제51경비대대장 셰인 와츠 중령이 Smart Shooter SMASH 조준경이 장착된 소총으로 조준하고 있다. Smart Shooter 소총에는 드론과 회전익 항공기에 대한 소총의 정확도와 살상력을 높여 한 발로 표적을 효과적으로 격파할 수 있도록 설계된 Smash 2000 조준경이 장착돼 있다. (미 공군 사진: Rome Bowermaster 선임공군병)

북한과의 국경에서 약 50마일 떨어진 곳에서 미군과 한국군은 최근 중형 무인체계를 대상으로 한 첫 대드론 방어훈련을 실시했다. 북한군은 러시아와 이란의 모델을 바탕으로 이러한 체계를 우선적으로 발전시키고 있다.

제51전투비행단 발표에 따르면 공군, 육군, 해병대 병력은 8월 2일부터 6일까지 오산 공군기지에서 Dragon Flight 훈련을 실시했다. 이 훈련은 도널드 트럼프 대통령이 최근 한반도 전역에서 실시되는 연례 대규모 을지 프리덤 실드 훈련의 규모를 축소하기 전에 실시됐다.

이번 훈련은 장병들이 오산에 배치된 F-16C/D 전투기를 방어하는 훈련을 실시하는 데 도움을 줬다. 이 전투기들은 다시 북한과 같은 위협에 대응하는 임무를 수행한다. 기지의 주된 임무는 잠재적 분쟁 발생 시 전투기들을 대규모로 출격시키는 것이다.

제51경비대대의 투 레 중위는 발표문에서 “이번 훈련을 통해 참여한 모든 기관이 각자의 C-UAS 방어체계를 평가하고 검증할 수 있었다”고 말했다. 그는 이어 “이번 훈련이 제51전투비행단에 현재 보유한 방공능력에 대한 자신감을 주고, 이러한 체계가 기지와 자산, 그리고 1만6,000명의 합동전력 인원을 방어하는 데 얼마나 중요한지를 보여주기를 바란다”고 말했다.

이번 훈련은 오산이 그동안 항상 중점을 두지는 않았던 방공 분야인 그룹 3 드론에 대한 훈련을 실시할 기회를 제공했다. 이들 체계는 더 작은 그룹 1·2 위협과 더 크고 전통적인 탄도미사일 사이에 위치하며, 오산과 군산 공군기지 인원들은 이 두 종류의 위협에 대응하는 훈련을 해왔다.

대드론 훈련을 실시한 장병들과 함께 Griffin Aerospace 소속 계약업체들도 참가했으며, 이들은 적대 항공기를 모사하기 위해 Outlaw Drone을 운용했다.

제51경비대대 장병들은 위협에 대응하기 위해 Expeditionary Mobile Air Defense System을 사용했다.

발표에 따르면 제35방공여단 장병들은 AN/TWQ Avenger 체계를 사용했고, 제2저고도방공대대 해병대원들은 Smart Shooter SMASH 조준경과 함께 스팅어 휴대용 미사일을 사용했다.

대한민국 측 인원들도 자체 장비를 가지고 훈련에 참가했다.

2026년 8월 6일 대한민국 오산 공군기지에서 실시된 Dragon Flight 훈련 중, 제51경비대대 소속 미 공군 Hollie Stidham 하사가 Expeditionary Mobile Air Defense Integrated System을 운용하고 있다. (미 공군 사진: Rome Bowermaster 선임공군병)

더 큰 그림

이번 훈련은 미군 기지와 전방 배치부대가 갈수록 커지는 드론 위협, 특히 그룹 3 드론의 위협에 직면하고 있는 가운데 실시됐다. 그룹 3 드론은 무게가 50~1,320파운드이며, 최대 18,000피트 고도에서 250노트 미만의 속도로 비행하고, 생산비용은 2만~5만 달러 수준이다.

Operation Epic Fury 기간 동안 이란은 그룹 3에 해당하는 샤헤드-136 드론 약 2,000대를 역내 미군과 동맹군을 향해 발사한 것으로 추정되며, 미국은 이를 격추하기 위해 값비싼 탄약을 사용해야 했다.

6월 1일 이란의 일방향 공격드론 한 대가 쿠웨이트 슈아이바항의 미군 시설을 타격해 미군 병사 6명이 사망했다.

러시아는 이란 기술을 이용해 자체 일방향 공격드론을 제작했고, 북한은 우크라이나와 전쟁 중인 러시아에 병력과 무기를 제공해왔다. 그 대가로 러시아는 북한이 샤헤드를 복제하고 2025년부터 복제품을 생산할 공장라인을 구축하도록 지원한 것으로 알려졌다. 북한 지도자 김정은은 드론 생산을 군 현대화를 위한 “필수적 요구”이자 “최우선 과제이며 중요한 임무”라고 지칭했다.

샤헤드에 집중하기 이전에도 북한은 2022년 12월 자체 드론을 이용해 남북한 사이 비무장지대 주변을 침범했다.

이후 현지 언론보도에 따르면 2024년부터 2025년 사이 한국의 접경도시에서 더 작은 정찰드론들이 목격됐다.

한국의 오산과 군산 공군기지는 모두 탄도미사일, 순항미사일, 전투기에 대응하기 위한 MIM-104 패트리엇 체계와 AN/TWQ Avenger 같은 단거리 방공체계를 보유하고 있지만, 이러한 체계들은 주로 저고도 항공기, 순항미사일, 헬기에 대응하도록 맞춰져 있다.

군산에서는 아직 그룹 3 드론을 대상으로 한 전용 대드론 훈련이 실시되지 않았다. 다만 군산 기지 인원들은 Beverley Sentinel과 같은 훈련에서 레드팀을 활용해 그룹 1·2 드론에 대한 방어능력을 시험해왔다.

Osan Drills Target North Korea’s Growing Drone Threat

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Shane Watts, 51st Security Forces Squadron commander, aims a rifle equipped with a Smart Shooter SMASH optic during Exercise Dragon Flight at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Aug. 6, 2026. The Smart Shooter rifle is equipped with a Smash 2000 optic designed to make rifles more accurate and lethal for drones and rotary wing aircraft to effectively take out a target in a single shot. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Rome Bowermaster)

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Osan Drills Target North Korea’s Growing Drone Threat

Aug. 20, 2026 | By Todd South

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Some 50 miles from the border with North Korea, U.S. and South Korean forces recently executed their first counter-drone defense drills targeting medium-sized systems, which the North Korean military has has prioritized based on Russia and Iranian models.

Airmen, Soldiers, and Marines conducted exercise Dragon Flight from Aug. 2-6 at Osan Air Base, according to a 51st Fighter Wing release. The drills were conducted before President Donald Trump scaled back the recent larger, peninsula-wide, annual Ulchi Freedom Shield.

The exercise helped service members practice defending the F-16C/D fighters at Osan, which in turn defend against threats such as North Korea. The base’s primary mission is to launch waves of fighter jets in a potential conflict.

“This exercise helped all the involved agencies assess and validate their respective C-UAS defense systems,” 1st Lt. Thu Le with the 51st Security Forces Squadron said in the release. “I hope that this event gives the 51st Fighter Wing confidence in its current air defense capabilities and just shows how crucial such systems are to the defense of the base, its assets, and all 16,000 joint-force personnel.”

The exercise gave Osan a chance to train on a portion of air defense it hasn’t always focused on: Group 3 drones. These systems fall between smaller Group 1 and 2 threats and larger, legacy ballistic missiles, both of which personnel at Osan and Kunsan Air Bases have trained to defeat.

Alongside the service members conducting the counter-drone training were contractors from Griffin Aerospace, which operated the Outlaw Drone to simulate hostile aircraft.

Members of the 51st Security Forces Squadron used the Expeditionary Mobile Air Defense System to beat back the threat.

Soldiers with the 35th Air Defense Brigade used the AN/TWQ Avenger system while Marines with the 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion used Stinger man-portable missiles with Smart Shooter SMASH optics, according to the release.

Republic of Korea personnel also worked in the exercise with their own equipment.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Hollie Stidham, foreground, 51st Security Forces Squadron, operates the Expeditionary Mobile Air Defense Integrated System during Exercise Dragon Flight at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Aug. 6, 2026. (Air Force photo by Senior Airman Rome Bowermaster)

The Bigger Picture

This training comes as U.S. bases and forward-deployed units face an ever-increasing drone threat, especially from Group 3 drones, which weigh between 50 and 1,320 pounds, fly up to 18,000 feet at speeds under 250 knots, and cost between $20,000 and $50,000 to produce.

During Operation Epic Fury, Iran has launched an estimated 2,000 Shahed-136 drones, which are Group 3, at U.S. and allied forces in the region, forcing the U.S. to use expensive munitions to take them down.

An Iranian one-way drone hit a U.S. facility in the Port of Shuaiba, Kuwait, on June 1, killing six U.S. soldiers.

Russia has used Iranian technology to build its own one-way attack drones, and North Korea has contributed troops and weapons to Russia in its war against Ukraine. In turn, Russia has reportedly helped North Korea to copy the Shahed and begin building factory lines to produce the knockoffs in 2025. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called drone production an “essential requirement” and a “top priority and important task” for modernizing the nation’s military.

Prior to the Shahed focus, North Korea used its own drones to conduct perimeter incursions into the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea in December 2022.

Since then, local news reports say smaller reconnaissance drones have been spotted in South Korean border cities from 2024 to 2025.

While both Osan and Kunsan Air Bases in South Korea have MIM-104 Patriot Systems for ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and fighter jets, as well as short-range air defense systems such as the AN/TWQ Avenger system, those are mainly geared toward low-altitude aircraft, cruise missiles, and helicopters.

Kunsan has not yet conducted a specific counter-drone exercise for Group 3 drones. However, Kunsan personnel have conducted exercises such as Beverley Sentinel, using red teams to test defenses against Group 1 and 2 drones.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Shane Watts, 51st Security Forces Squadron commander, aims a rifle equipped with a Smart Shooter SMASH optic during Exercise Dragon Flight at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Aug. 6, 2026. The Smart Shooter rifle is equipped with a Smash 2000 optic designed to make rifles more accurate and lethal for drones and rotary wing aircraft to effectively take out a target in a single shot. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Rome Bowermaster)

Expand Photo

Osan Drills Target North Korea’s Growing Drone Threat

Aug. 20, 2026 | By Todd South

•  
•  
•  
•  
•  

Share Article

Some 50 miles from the border with North Korea, U.S. and South Korean forces recently executed their first counter-drone defense drills targeting medium-sized systems, which the North Korean military has has prioritized based on Russia and Iranian models.

Airmen, Soldiers, and Marines conducted exercise Dragon Flight from Aug. 2-6 at Osan Air Base, according to a 51st Fighter Wing release. The drills were conducted before President Donald Trump scaled back the recent larger, peninsula-wide, annual Ulchi Freedom Shield.

The exercise helped service members practice defending the F-16C/D fighters at Osan, which in turn defend against threats such as North Korea. The base’s primary mission is to launch waves of fighter jets in a potential conflict.

“This exercise helped all the involved agencies assess and validate their respective C-UAS defense systems,” 1st Lt. Thu Le with the 51st Security Forces Squadron said in the release. “I hope that this event gives the 51st Fighter Wing confidence in its current air defense capabilities and just shows how crucial such systems are to the defense of the base, its assets, and all 16,000 joint-force personnel.”

The exercise gave Osan a chance to train on a portion of air defense it hasn’t always focused on: Group 3 drones. These systems fall between smaller Group 1 and 2 threats and larger, legacy ballistic missiles, both of which personnel at Osan and Kunsan Air Bases have trained to defeat.

Alongside the service members conducting the counter-drone training were contractors from Griffin Aerospace, which operated the Outlaw Drone to simulate hostile aircraft.

Members of the 51st Security Forces Squadron used the Expeditionary Mobile Air Defense System to beat back the threat.

Soldiers with the 35th Air Defense Brigade used the AN/TWQ Avenger system while Marines with the 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion used Stinger man-portable missiles with Smart Shooter SMASH optics, according to the release.

Republic of Korea personnel also worked in the exercise with their own equipment.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Hollie Stidham, foreground, 51st Security Forces Squadron, operates the Expeditionary Mobile Air Defense Integrated System during Exercise Dragon Flight at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Aug. 6, 2026. (Air Force photo by Senior Airman Rome Bowermaster)

The Bigger Picture

This training comes as U.S. bases and forward-deployed units face an ever-increasing drone threat, especially from Group 3 drones, which weigh between 50 and 1,320 pounds, fly up to 18,000 feet at speeds under 250 knots, and cost between $20,000 and $50,000 to produce.

During Operation Epic Fury, Iran has launched an estimated 2,000 Shahed-136 drones, which are Group 3, at U.S. and allied forces in the region, forcing the U.S. to use expensive munitions to take them down.

An Iranian one-way drone hit a U.S. facility in the Port of Shuaiba, Kuwait, on June 1, killing six U.S. soldiers.

Russia has used Iranian technology to build its own one-way attack drones, and North Korea has contributed troops and weapons to Russia in its war against Ukraine. In turn, Russia has reportedly helped North Korea to copy the Shahed and begin building factory lines to produce the knockoffs in 2025. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called drone production an “essential requirement” and a “top priority and important task” for modernizing the nation’s military.

Prior to the Shahed focus, North Korea used its own drones to conduct perimeter incursions into the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea in December 2022.

Since then, local news reports say smaller reconnaissance drones have been spotted in South Korean border cities from 2024 to 2025.

While both Osan and Kunsan Air Bases in South Korea have MIM-104 Patriot Systems for ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and fighter jets, as well as short-range air defense systems such as the AN/TWQ Avenger system, those are mainly geared toward low-altitude aircraft, cruise missiles, and helicopters.

Kunsan has not yet conducted a specific counter-drone exercise for Group 3 drones. However, Kunsan personnel have conducted exercises such as Beverley Sentinel, using red teams to test defenses against Group 1 and 2 drones.