South Korea’s new stealth drone built to hunt and hit Kim
Loyal wingman drones could be deployed to decapitate North Korea’s leadership in a conflict scenario
Korean Air will build loyal wingman drones for South Korea's air force. Image: Facebook
In a quick follow-up to South Korea’s first test flight of its homegrown fighter jet, the country also aims to build its first unmanned loyal wingman drone.
Last week, South Korea named Korean Air the preferred bidder for its loyal wingman drone, which it envisions will work in tandem with manned combat aircraft and operate in autonomous swarms, reports aviation website FlightGlobal.
The report notes that the project envisages the development of stealth unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) squadrons, noting that South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development (ADD) began developing the concept last year and has completed the basic design.
FlightGlobal also mentions that ADD and Korean Air plan to work on a manned-unmanned teaming system wherein one manned aircraft and three to four stealth UAVs carry out missions simultaneously. The report states that the new stealth UAV can carry out missions on its own, such as surveillance, electronic warfare and kinetic attacks.
The development follows the ADD’s previous stealth UAV program that ran from 2019 to 2021, culminating in a contract between the South Korean government and Korean Air signed in October to develop a stealth UAV to advance South Korea’s stealth technology.
Critical aspects of the project include developing radar-absorbing materials and stealth shaping for future UAV designs...