The South Korean army plans to create a combat unit of weaponised drones next year that would be capable of swarming nuclear-armed North Korea in the event of a conflict.

The new defence asset has already been nicknamed the “dronebot”, according to South Korean newswire, Yonhap.

The army team operating the drones would primarily focus on reconnaissance operations against strategic North Korean military sites, amid growing tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programme.

But the unit could be mobilised to launch swarm attacks if necessary, with an army official claiming that drone combat would be a “game changer in warfare” on the Korean peninsula.

“The army plans to set up a special organisation to lead the development of dronebots, establish a standard platform and expand the dronebot programme,” he said.

The North’s detonation of a sixth nuclear test and the launch of two new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) this year has increased pressure on South Korean President Moon Jae-in to shore up his nation’s defences.