Korean Air and Airbus Helicopters signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on October 5 to develop vertical unmanned aerial systems (VUAS) for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.

Jung-woo Park, head of Korean Air's Aerospace Business Division, and Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, attended the signing ceremony in Seoul.

As highlighted in the MOA, Korean Air and Airbus Helicopters will develop unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for the ROK Navy: a ship-borne reconnaissance UAS and a UAS to surveil Korea's northwest islands. Korean Air will combine its experience and know-how in UAS development with Airbus Helicopters' expertise in UAS design and manufacturing, and knowledge gained from their inhouse VSR700 UAS program.

Korean Air is leading the Korean unmanned aerial system market with its 20 years of experience and expertise. Through this partnership, Korean Air plans to strengthen its position in the global VUAS market.

In June, Korean Air established a next-generation stealth drone R&D center, and in August, the company was also selected as the preferred bidder for the Korean Agency for Defense Development's (ADD) “stealth UAV squadron development.”

As a leading company in the development of the Korean aerospace and defense sector, Korean Air will continue to represent and serve the national aerospace and defense industry.