The South Korean Army plans to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the near future to deliver defense supplies to troops around the country, the military said Wednesday.

The Army conducted a system demonstration of a delivery drone during a meeting held earlier in the day to evaluate the feasibility of the UAVs to ferry supplies, it said in a statement.

The tested drone handily airlifted a 15 kilogram package to a designated spot during the demonstration, according to the statement.

"In comparison with the American online retailer Amazon's delivery drone that could pick up upwards of five kg, the defense supply drone demonstrated higher performance," the Army said.

The Army and Korea Aerospace University co-developed the drone.

The Army plans to conduct test flights of the UAV within this year before actually deploying them for use with troops, it said.

Carrying 20 kg of goods, the drone could fly some 5 kilometers at a maximum altitude of 500 meters, it also said.

"If the drone is deployed, it could deliver supplies to remote mountainous areas or isolated posts during wartime as well as send emergency relief goods to civilians in the event of natural disasters," the Army said. (Yonhap)