Kia announced on the 17th that it will unveil the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell military drone concept at the country’s largest aerospace and defense industry exhibition.
Seoul ADEX (Aerospace & Defense Exhibition) has been held biennially since 1996. This year marks the 14th edition. The event is being held from today until the 22nd at Seoul Airport in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do. It is the largest scale ever, with over 550 companies from 34 countries confirmed to participate.
Kia is participating in this event under the theme of “Defense technology that supports safe and sustainable mobility for our military.” In addition to the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell military drone concept, it will also showcase ▲hydrogen fuel cell multicopter drone ▲EV9 military concept car ▲medium chassis, among others.
The “hydrogen fuel cell military drone concept” is an unmanned drone capable of performing various missions such as military logistics support, reconnaissance, and surveillance. It is currently under development, aiming for excellent high-speed cruising by utilizing hydrogen fuel cells and a lightweight airframe, technologies concentrated from Hyundai Motor Group.
It also applies the “lift and cruise method,” which installs separate propellers on the airframe for vertical takeoff and landing and for high-speed cruising. This feature enables safe operation in any environment.
The “hydrogen fuel cell multicopter drone” is designed to travel longer distances more efficiently by using both batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, unlike typical urban air mobility (UAM) aircraft that rely solely on batteries. Notably, it is registered as the first hydrogen fuel cell aircraft to pass domestic airworthiness certification standards.
The “EV9 military concept car” reinterprets Kia’s flagship electrified sport utility vehicle (SUV), the EV9, for military transport purposes. Based on a body with high collision safety, it is equipped with features such as V2L (Vehicle-to-Load), which enables smooth power supply even in battlefield situations.
The “medium chassis” is a vehicle platform that can be utilized diversely according to military use. It can also be produced for civilian purposes such as police cars and ambulances, reflecting Kia’s vision for purpose-built vehicles (PBV).
Kia formed the largest integrated exhibition hall ever with defense companies within the group, including Hyundai Rotem and Hyundai Wia. Hyundai Rotem unveiled the actual 30-ton class wheeled armored vehicle for the first time. Hyundai Wia is exhibiting actual weapon assemblies, key components of the K2 tank and K9 self-propelled howitzer.
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