The Air Force in South Korea announced on Monday that it is considering replacing police dogs with four-legged robots or mechanical dogs because troops are expected to be fewer and more military dog handlers are expected to be needed.
The Air Force  plans to launch a feasibility study to see if mechanical patrol dogs may successfully replace traditional breeds like shepherds and Labrador retrievers at big air base locations while still upholding the integrity of patrol and guard duties.
The , Air Force , emphasized the necessity of study, noting that police dogs now face challenges in successfully carrying out their military duties at heat bases. These difficulties include the possibility of human injuries and the complexity of preventing and containing their anger.
However, as the number of active military at military outposts is expected to increases, the , Air Force , foresees a corresponding reduction in the number of defense dog handlers.
According to the 2022 Defense White Paper released by the , Ministry of Defense , in , February 2023,  , South Korea , has up to 500, 000 active men, with 65, 000 of them in the , Air Force. This is a lower compared to 2020, which counted 555, 000 active men.
The Air Force , added that the introduction of mechanical dogs could be effective for military bases and could change the current defense structure from having one manager working with a number of mechanical canines.
The qualifications for the research being conducted by , South Korea ‘s , Air Force , also encompasses the , US Air Force ‘s , captain activity of doglike quadruped drones, which are being tested as possible replacements for traditional guard dogs. The robotic dogs can run up to three hours at a speed of three meters per second and are trained to assess potential hazards before troops enter a specific area on a mission.
To test the efficiency of robotic dogs,  , South Korea ‘s , Air Force , plans to select sites that consider various environments and terrains to test whether robotic dogs can work the same way as patrol dogs do currently.
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( c ) 2024 the Asia News Network
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