Overview
- South Korea’s Air Force presented the first production-standard Medium-Altitude Reconnaissance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, a homegrown drone built for sustained surveillance missions.
- The aircraft now moves into Air Force acceptance testing before entering service, with deliveries to frontline units set to start in phased tranches beginning in 2027.
- The procurement totals 980 billion won, runs through 2028, and entered mass production after the defense agency approved the plan in December 2023.
- DAPA says about 90% of the system is sourced from South Korean industry, with development and production led by Korean Air with LIG D&A and Hanwha Systems at a Busan facility.
- The MUAV is designed to loiter at medium altitude, collect real-time imagery with high-end sensors, share targeting data across the force, and support a shift toward pairing crewed aircraft with drones.