PETER LA FRANCHI / BUSAN
South Korea is planning an indigenous unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) programme and is at an early stage of development of a medium-altitude endurance (MALE) unmanned air vehicle.
Work is also under way on an extended-range version of the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) Night Intruder 300 UAV, seen as a stepping stone towards the MALE UAV.
The UCAV plans call for a system to be operationally available by 2020, with initial development planned for 2006. A UCAV technology demonstrator could fly by 2009. The MALE UAV development programme is being headed by the Korean Agency for Defence Development, with KAI responsible for systems integration. Government funding for the project was approved earlier this year.
The prototype MALE UAV is to make its first flight in 2006. Two versions are planned, a basic MALE system and a MALE-Plus aimed at meeting a long-term South Korean air force requirement for high-end endurance UAVs.
The KAI Night Intruder air vehicle has an endurance of 6h, with the ER variant expected to be able to remain airborne for up to 20h. KAI wants to equip the ER version with synthetic aperture radar and a colour imaging electro-optic sensor.
The South Korean army has two Night Intruder systems, comprising 12 air vehicles, in operational service out of six systems on order. The UAVs are replacing early generation Israel Aircraft Industries Searcher UAVs. Deliveries of the remaining four systems and 24 associated air vehicles ar expected to be completed in 2004.
The South Korean navy has ordered an undisclosed number of Night Intruder ground stations from KAI to enable maritime surveillance missions to be flown by South Korean army air vehicles.
Some of these surveillance missions are to be co-located with naval surveillance posts on islands along the western side of South Korea, near the country's border with North Korea.
Source: Flight International
