Korean Air and Air Force Academy Join Hands to "Research Future Defense Systems"

Cooperation Centered on Manned and Unmanned Integrated Combat Systems

Korean Air has decided to continue various research and exchanges in collaboration with the Air Force Academy to draw a blueprint for the future defense sector.

On the 6th, Korean Air announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for exchange and cooperation in defense policy and defense technology fields with the Air Force Academy the day before.

Accordingly, Korean Air and the Air Force Academy plan to conduct research cooperation focusing on the Air Force's manned-unmanned combined combat system, which is considered the core technology in future defense. They also plan to promote cooperation by exchanging human resources in mutually interested fields in the future.

Since 2022, Korean Air has been working with the Agency for Defense Development on the low-observable squadron project, developing the unmanned cooperative combat aircraft (CCA), a core element of the manned-unmanned combined combat system, which is scheduled to be unveiled in 2025. The CCA is an AI-based unmanned combat aircraft that operates alongside manned fighter jets.

Kim Kyung-nam, head of Korean Air's Aircraft Technology Research Institute, emphasized, "Completing the Air Force's manned-unmanned combined combat system is very important in the increasingly complex future defense environment," adding, "Collaboration with specialized institutions like the Air Force Academy is essential."

Kim Kyung-nam, Director of Korea Air Aerospace Research Institute (right), and Kim Il-hwan, Superintendent of the Air Force Academy, are posing for a commemorative photo after signing the "Agreement for Exchange and Cooperation in Defense Policy and Defense Technology" on the 5th at Korea Air Aerospace Research Institute in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. (Photo by Korea Air)