Korean Air is expanding its collaboration with the U.S. defense company Anduril Industries (hereafter referred to as Anduril) in unmanned aerial vehicle development globally. The cooperation will extend beyond defense to include the public sector in local communities.

Korean Air announced on the 1st that it is pursuing the joint development of an integrated solution for large-scale wildfire prevention worldwide with Anduril. This expands the scope of the Teaming Agreement (TA) signed in August for unmanned fields in Korea and the Asia-Pacific region to the global market, aiming to address large-scale wildfire issues in countries such as the western United States.

Specifically, the plan is to apply Korean Air's developed unmanned aerial vehicle and operational technology to Anduril's wildfire response platform to quickly identify and suppress wildfire ignition points, creating an integrated solution. Anduril's wildfire response platform is based on the artificial intelligence (AI) software 'Lattice.' The AI autonomously determines fire occurrence and performs initial suppression. Anduril is a next-generation defense technology company founded in 2017 by young innovator Palmer Luckey, known as a pioneer in the virtual reality (VR) industry. It is recognized for introducing the fast product development and efficient operational methods characteristic of tech companies into the defense sector, offering a differentiated approach from traditional defense companies. Collaborating with the defense departments of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, it has rapidly established its position, growing into a company with over 6,000 employees and a corporate value of KRW 40 trillion in just eight years. Notably, Anduril is focusing on the Korean market and companies specialized in the defense sector. In August, it officially announced its entry into the Korean market and appointed John Kim, former acting president of Boeing Korea, as the head of its Korean operations. It also revealed plans to diversify cooperation with domestic companies, double its workforce in Korea within a year, and strengthen its business foundation. This wildfire response process is characterized by its ability to be managed with minimal personnel. Sensors distributed in various locations such as air, ground, and space (satellites) detect data and automatically issue alerts to relevant authorities in the event of a fire. Anduril's wildfire response platform autonomously evaluates the scale and status of the fire and dispatches unmanned aerial vehicles to extinguish the flames as needed.

Previously, wildfire signs were judged by human observation, and initial responses could take several minutes or hours. In contrast, Anduril's AI-based solution is expected to enable 24-hour real-time monitoring and identification of wildfire occurrences, allowing for swift initial suppression using unmanned aerial vehicles. Palmer Luckey, founder of Anduril, stated, "Large-scale wildfires have become a global crisis, but firefighting response systems remain in the past. Integrating Korean Air's unmanned aerial vehicles into Anduril's wildfire response platform will drastically speed up wildfire response and ultimately reduce numerous lives and large-scale property damage."

A Korean Air representative conveyed, "We have continuously sought possibilities to contribute to the global community by leveraging our unique unmanned aerial vehicle development technology and operational capabilities. We expect that cooperation with Anduril will complement the existing personnel-centered wildfire response system and help prevent large-scale wildfires, which pose a serious problem worldwide."

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