South Korea’s first ship launch of its Shahed-class loitering munition failed with both prototypes crashing into the sea within seconds after leaving ROKS Marado.

INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY

South Korea’s first ship launch of its Shahed-class loitering munition failed with both prototypes crashing into the sea within seconds after leaving ROKS Marado. The drone had reportedly completed around 30 successful land flights, so investigators are focusing on the launcher or ship-launch setup rather than the airframe itself. The setback also adds pressure to a program already criticized for its roughly $580,000 prototype cost — far higher than a typical Shahed.