Korean Air is partnering with the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) to promote research on an open unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platform capable of managing and operating multiple types of equipment simultaneously to perform a variety of missions effectively.

Korean Air announced on the 16th that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the ADD on “Open UAV Platform Technology for Multi-Type Mission Equipment Operation.” The agreement is the result of four months of consultations after Korean Air was selected as the preferred bidder for the project in August. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) also participated in the bidding for the project at the time, but Korean Air was ultimately selected.

Under the agreement, Korean Air will carry out research and development of elemental technologies to maximize the operational utility of UAV teaming operations through May 2029. The company plans to secure open-architecture technology that modularizes mission-specific sensors and equipment so that mission-appropriate equipment can be mounted or operated as needed. The research and development budget has been set at approximately KRW 19.3 billion. The research is expected to serve as a practical application case in the unmanned aircraft domain within the Ministry of National Defense’s ongoing “K-MOSA (Korean Modularized & Open System Approach for Unmanned Defense Systems)” policy.

K-MOSA aims to rapidly secure unmanned systems and maximize flexibility in force operations through equipment replacement by developing standardized common architectures and modular systems.

Once K-MOSA is established, defense companies will be able to mass-produce standardized unmanned airframes and equipment quickly and at low cost, while operational units will be able to easily swap modularized equipment to achieve flexible force composition. It is also expected to be efficient in terms of maintenance. To carry out the project effectively, Korean Air will form a consortium with domestic UAV specialists, including LIG Nex1, RealTimeViz, and MNC Solution, to pursue technology development. The company will also promote the development of dedicated equipment such as mission payloads, mission-effect analysis tools, and electronic locking devices.

A Korean Air official stated, “Through this agreement, Korean Air will develop an open UAV platform technology in a timely manner that will dramatically enhance the economic efficiency and operational effectiveness of unmanned aerial vehicles,” adding, “By applying the Korean military’s K-MOSA-based open concept to the UAV teaming system development program, Korean Air will lead the future paradigm of air operations and contribute to defense self-reliance.” In February this year, Korean Air rolled out the first prototype of its low-observable UAV teaming aircraft and is currently carrying out follow-up work after completing assembly of the second prototype. The low-observable UAV teaming system is a next-generation force system based on stealth technology that can evade radar detection, enabling a formation of manned fighters and multiple UAVs to autonomously conduct missions such as reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and precision strike. Following an initial flight and test verification scheduled for the first half of next year, the company aims to conduct a manned-unmanned teaming flight demonstration—where manned and unmanned aircraft fly in formation—by 2027.

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