Korean Air to develop a loyal wingman for ROKAF
Here is concept artwork showing four loyal wingmen accompanying a notional sixth-generation fighter. (Image: Korean Air)
South Korea is joining the loyal wingman bandwagon, with a domestic company contracted to produce a detailed design for a new UAV.
Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD) has been selected as the preferred bidder to develop a new loyal wingman UAV platform for South Korea’s military as part of national manned-unmanned teaming efforts.
The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) awarded a ‘stealth UAV squadron development’ contract to Korean Air on 12 August, according to a press release by the latter several days later.
The envisaged system will see three or four such loyal wingmen supporting a single crewed combat aircraft, to create squadrons of stealthy UAVs.
ADD’s development of the new UAV commenced last November, and its basic design has been finalised.
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