Korean Air Launches 'Hybrid Drone' to Build Ecosystem for Military and Civilian Markets

Following Defense Acquisition Program Administration Supply Contracts, Accelerating Civilian Market Penetration

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] Korean Air will support its partner companies to establish a civilian ecosystem for its self-developed 'hybrid drone.'

Korean Air announced on the 27th that it signed a business agreement on the 26th at the Tech Center in Gangseo-gu, Busan, with P&U Drone, Yeonhap Precision, and A&NH Structure for the demonstration and operation project of the hybrid drone.

The signing ceremony was attended by Lee Soo-geun, Vice President of Korean Air; Kang Beom-su, CEO of P&U Drone; Kim Yong-su, CEO of Yeonhap Precision; and Ahn Hyun-soo, CEO of A&NH Structure.

This agreement was prepared to actively supply the hybrid drone, developed by Korean Air, to the civilian market. The partner companies will independently operate drones based on the education and technical support provided by Korean Air, thereby building a drone industry ecosystem.

The hybrid drone developed by Korean Air features a hybrid engine combining an internal combustion engine and a battery, extending the operation time to four times (over 2 hours) that of conventional battery-type drones. Last month, Korean Air also signed a contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration to supply hybrid drones to the military.

Korean Air stated, "Following cooperation with small and medium-sized enterprises for the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) production of hybrid drones, this agreement lays the foundation for revitalizing the drone industry," adding, "We will continue to secure market competitiveness through follow-up model development based on cooperation with SMEs."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.