South Korea has been developing an indigenous combat drone with the aim of deploying it by 2015 to raise combat capabilities against North Korea’s artillery and missile provocations, a state-funded aerospace company said Thursday.

The Korea Aerospace and Industries Ltd. unveiled the unmanned combat drone dubbed “Devil Killer” in a seminar, which displayed military equipment developed by South Korean defense firms with attendance of 400 military officials, arms sellers and experts.

Measuring 1.5 meters long by 1.3 meters wide, the pilotless combat aircraft can fly up to 350-400 kilometers per hour, conduct spy missions with the advanced geographical positioning system and automatically crash into the intended targets, the KAI said.

When placed on the front-line island of Yeonpyeong Island, for example, it can shoot down the North’s closest artillery base, 4 kilometers away from the island, in 4 minutes, the KAI explained.

The North shelled the island near the western sea border in November 2010 in an unprovoked attack, killing four South Koreans.

The drone is designed to trace the high-speed landing craft air cushion that can speed up to 80 kilometers per hour and shoot it down, they said.

The KAI said it has been developing the combat drone since January 2011 and conducted the first flight test in September of last year.

The development of the unmanned plane is expected to be completed by next year and the military plans to deploy it in combat fields as early as 2015 after it passes the required operational capability, the state-run Defense Acquisition and Procurement Agency said. (Yonhap News)