South Korea has begun production of medium-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles to enhance the military's surveillance over North Korea, the state-run procurement agency said Thursday.

In December, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration signed a 471.7 billion-won ($353.6 million) deal with Korean Air, South Korea's biggest airline, along with two defense firms, LIG Nex1 and Hanwha Systems, to manufacture advanced spy drones by 2028.

The state-run Agency for Defense Development initiated the MUAV project in 2008 and completed its development in 2022.

The surveillance aircraft is capable of flying at an altitude of 10-12 kilometers and capturing high-resolution images from distances exceeding 100 kilometers. It measures 13 m in length and 3 m in height, and has a wingspan of 25 m.

DAPA said the spy drone is expected to help the South Korean military's surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. (Yonhap)