Korean Information Service, Korean Air said Wednesday (Aug. 22) that it has successfully developed and tested an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using local technology.
The UAV, developed with research funding from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, can stay in the air for two-and-a-half hours with an operational radius of about 40 kilometers.
The remote-controlled plane can be managed by less than five people, and 97 percent of its equipment was made locally, the company said.
Korean Air, Korea's largest airline, has assembled UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and runs maintenance services for both civilian and military customers.
The company said the UAV, which took almost three years to produce, has a 26-magnification zoom camera for daytime observation and is highly portable since three UAVs and support equipment, including wireless control panels, can be transported on two 3.5-ton trucks.
It also said further development of the UAV will give it short takeoff capability, so it can be launched almost anywhere, and forward-aimed infrared cameras for nighttime operations.
The next model will be designed to stay in the air for up to six hours with better wireless control and an operational radius of 80 kilometers.
Korean Air said that once the UAV is fully developed, it could be used for both military and civilian purposes.
Such UAVs could be used to monitor traffic and illegal fishing as well as provide the military with a new means of observing battlefields.
“Sales of the new UAV could reach 800 billion won within the next 10 years,” a company spokesman said. He added that the company may be able to export 300 billion won ($317.1 million) worth of them to foreign buyers.
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