KAI to develop drone for reconnaissance, attack

Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. (KAI) on Wednesday said it is developing a small multi-purpose drone with reconnaissance and attack functions like the Switchblade model used in the war in Ukraine.

KAI said it concluded the day before an agreement with the Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement to develop design technology for small multifunctional modular air vehicles.

KAI will develop on a trial basis a small drone with foldable wings capable of reconnaissance, communication and attack by modularizing the mounted equipment to enable replaceability depending on the mission.

The drone will sport a tube launch-type design like that of the Switchblade to enable its use by the Army, Navy and the Air Force.

Through December 2026, the companies LIG Nex1 Co., Poongsan Corp., Saeron S&I and Dbrain will participate in the project as a consortium.

Application of the secured technology is expected on drones launched in the air and manned and unmanned collaborative combat systems.

 "We plan to develop a new concept in weapon systems by combining future technologies such as artificial intelligence-based situational awareness and operational control of unmanned aerial vehicles," said a KAI source. 

Write to Seo-Woo Jang at suwu@hankyung.com