Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd. (KAI) announced on the 16th that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Kratos, a US-based company, for mutual cooperation in the field of Manned-Unmanned Combat Systems (MUM-T: Manned-Unmanned Teaming).

Through this MOU, the two companies will establish a cooperative relationship to enter the domestic manned-unmanned combat systems market and subsequently pursue joint entry into the overseas manned-unmanned combat systems market.

The MOU was signed by KAI CEO Cha Jae-byung and Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems Inc. President Steve Fendley. Both parties agreed to explore mutual cooperation in the field of manned-unmanned systems.

The KAI-Kratos MOU is expected to foster collaboration between KAI, Korea's sole aircraft systems integration company, and Kratos, a global leader in the unmanned aerial vehicle market, thereby fostering technological advancements and business competitiveness in the manned-unmanned systems sector.

KAI has selected manned-unmanned systems, which combine manned and unmanned aircraft platforms, as one of its six future platforms. Recently, KAI announced the brand name of its core technology, AI Pilot, as "KAILOT," furthering its commitment to securing Korea's "sovereign AI."

Kratos is a leading company in the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) field, with a product line that includes the XQ-58 Valkyrie unmanned combat aircraft (CCA: Collaborative Combat Aircraft) and the BQM-167, BQM-177, and MQM-178 unmanned target aircraft. Kratos has been producing and flying these high-performance UAVs for approximately 25 years, and has recently accumulated numerous CCA and MUM-T related achievements with the US military.