Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) announced on October 16 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with U.S.-based KRATOS to foster mutual cooperation in the Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) sector.
Under this agreement, the two companies will establish a collaborative relationship to jointly enter and expand in the domestic unmanned/ manned-unmanned system market, followed by a tandem approach to the global market.
The MOU was signed by KAI CEO Jae-byeong Cha and KRATOS President Steve Fendley. Both sides agreed to explore ways of mutual cooperation in advancing unmanned composite system technologies and business opportunities.
This partnership aims to leverage KAI’s status as Korea’s only comprehensive aircraft system integrator and KRATOS’s leading position in the global unmanned aerial vehicle market. The collaboration is expected to enhance technological capabilities and competitiveness in the unmanned systems field.
KAI has selected manned-unmanned combined systems as one of its six future core platforms. Recently, it announced the brand name ‘KAILOT’ (카일럿) for its AI Pilot technology, aiming to establish Korea’s sovereignty in autonomous AI systems.
KRATOS is a renowned leader in the unmanned aerial vehicle industry, possessing a product lineup that includes the XQ-58 Valkyrie – a collaborative combat aircraft (CCA), as well as BQM-167, BQM-177, and MQM-178 unmanned target systems. Over the past 25 years, KRATOS has developed and flown these high-performance UAVs, accumulating extensive experience and success, especially through recent projects with the U.S. military related to CCA and MUM-T.
This strategic alliance is expected to accelerate the development of advanced unmanned system technologies and facilitate entry into new global markets, ultimately strengthening Korea’s position in the international defense and aerospace industry.
