Israel Aerospace Industries announced last week that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Korea Aerospace Industries on a new program involving loitering munitions, which will maximize the effectiveness of strike missions against enemy air defenses.
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The MoU between the two defense contractors, signed during the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX 2021) in Seoul last week, secures a "new concept weapons system that will maximize the effectiveness of Suppression and Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD & DEAD) missions," according to a statement released by the IAI.
"The expanded cooperation between IAI and KAI will offer the South Korean military new technologies and will establish concrete cooperation plans through joint feasibility studies between the two companies," it added.
Loitering munitions combine the capabilities of drones and missiles to search, identify, and destroy targets from long range. An upgraded class of such weapons systems has been developed to hit sensitive and moving targets, according to the Defense Post.
IAI is a lead global developer of loitering munitions systems, which combine the capabilities of unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles.
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According to the company, the new concept weapon system can perform long-endurance reconnaissance missions and can strike a target immediately when necessary.
Its specific munitions, including Harpy and Harop loitering missiles, are combat-proven in many countries around the world.
In March, IAI and KAI inked an initial collaboration agreement to develop loitering munitions, with particular attention to the South Korean Army's pursuit of manned-unmanned teaming.
"IAI is proud to continue expanding our collaboration with KAI, and share our combat-proven capabilities in the field of loitering munitions," Yehuda Lahav, executive vice president of marketing at IAI, said.
"IAI is happy to partner with one of Korean's leading companies, and to continue growing our collaboration with the local defense market and Korean industry leaders."
KAI's Executive vice President Chang Heon-han said, "With the goal of leading the future of unmanned aerial vehicles, we are dedicated to developing next-generation unmanned aerial vehicle technology, and we will develop solutions that meet various customer needs.
JNS.org contributed to this report.
