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Explainer: How Korea-U.S. drone collaborations could change the battlefield game

Published: 24 Apr. 2025, 07:00 Updated: 24 Apr. 2025, 22:24

CHO YONG-JUN
[email protected]

General Atomics' unmanned aerial vehicle prototype flies over a Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship on Nov. 12. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The deployment of drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) has become a tactical game changer on battlefields, prompting Korean and U.S. defense companies to cooperate on joint development.

Despite the fact that most partnerships are in their early stages without finalized military deals, they have the potential to create and develop autonomous drones for not only the Korean military, but also the global market, as multiple U.S. firms have the upper hand in autonomous software that Korea lacks.

In April alone, at least three major agreements pairing Korean and U.S. firms for UAVs were announced.

Hanwha Aerospace, best known as the manufacturer of the K9 Thunder howitzer, pledged to invest 750 billion won ($524 million) in the development of the Grey Eagle STOL (short-takeoff and landing) unmanned aircraft system with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), a subsidiary of General Atomics.

It's the first time Hanwha Aerospace, the largest defense company in Korea, has sealed an agreement regarding the joint development of UAVs.

“The deal is important to us as it signifies our business field,” a Hanwha Aerospace spokesperson said, explaining that the company has previous experience in manufacturing different components for drones. “GA-ASI is a leading firm in the field, and we will be targeting global market demands.”

Anduril Industries, a California-based defense firm specializing in unmanned aerial systems and military-focused AI that rose to prominence following Ukraine's utilization of its drones against Russia's invasion, signed a memorandum of understanding with Korean Air Aerospace, the flagship carrier's arms division, to work together on autonomous aerial vehicles. While the firms have revealed few details of the agreement, they have stated that they are designing for the global market, instead of developing it per the Korean military's requirements.

The U.S. tech company also signed a preliminary agreement with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), which procures weapons for the Korean Armed Forces, for the joint research and development of advanced combat drones. The deal covers the development not only of hardware, but also of the oversight system and software that controls the drones.

The administration declined to comment on the details of its preliminary agreement with Anduril.

Anduril also announced a partnership on April 3 with LIG Nex1 to develop next-generation guided weapons by deploying Anduril's AI-based operating software Lattice. It's also cooperating with HD Hyundai on the development of autonomous naval systems.

“The Ukraine War proved the efficacy of AI technology in the military, and a global investment of AI in the field is now necessary,” Kiwoom Securities analyst Lee Han-gyul said in a note. “In the medium-to-long-term view, Korean defense firms should have competitive AI technology to be able to continue exporting in global markets.”

Ukrainian servicemen of the 22nd Brigade launch a Leleka reconnaissance UAV drone near Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, on April 27, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [AFP/YONHAP]

Automated UAVs, or those that can operate without a human's remote control, can ideally steer themselves to a target location, avoid obstacles, identify and attack a target all on their own, though many currently still require human soldiers to initially locate and approve a target location. Such drones are being used on the front lines of war, but they have yet to be widely used by Korean forces.

Korea's armed forces are not widely using automated UAVs, but they did take the first step in forming the Drone Operations Command in 2023, a combined Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps headquarters for all things drone-related.

Introducing a system less reliant on crew is especially important for the Korean military, which faces decreasing personnel as a result of the nation's declining population. The automated UAV field, however, is where Korean firms are lagging behind, according to Prof. Park Jeong-soo at Kyungwoon University's Division of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

“Korean firms’ hardware technologies in UAVs are not necessarily that behind compared to U.S.-based firms,” Prof. Park, who previously worked at Korea Aerospace Industries and Samsung Aerospace — now Hanwha Aerospace — told the Korea JoongAng Daily.

“But it’s software, operational technology and experience, and especially AI technology, where Korea is lagging behind,” the professor said, adding that Korea’s software is “70 percent” of the way to matching the level of top U.S. defense firms.

Such collaboration is also beneficial for the U.S. defense firms, which receive royalties on the software and can also expect future collaboration with the Korean military.

The professor said that due to Korea's limited land and airspace, on top of the various regulations that make field tests difficult within the country, Korean defense firms have no choice but to continue working with companies abroad.

“AI used in UAVs must be trained through machine learning, and more data means higher accuracy,” Park said. “Tests done in the lab also don't account for the different variables, compared to the tests done in the field, which reflect real-world scenarios more.”

BY CHO YONG-JUN [[email protected]]