Korean Air has signed a partnership agreement with U.S.-based defense technology company Anduril Industries to collaborate on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) projects in Korea and the broader Asia-Pacific region.

The airline announced Thursday that the two companies signed a cooperation agreement to build a UAV partnership for the Korean and Asia-Pacific markets. Korean Air said the deal follows a memorandum of understanding signed in April and subsequent discussions that produced concrete objectives, including a shared goal of entering the Asia-Pacific UAV market and establishing a cooperative framework to develop autonomous mission-capable drones.

Under the plan, the two companies will jointly develop a Korean-type UAV model based on Anduril’s products, explore licensed production and exports to the Asia-Pacific region, and consider building Anduril’s Asian UAV production base — to be called Arsenal South Korea — in Korea. Korean Air expects to conclude a final contract early next year following additional negotiations. The agreement grants Korean Air the rights to license-produce certain Anduril drones and export them within the Asia-Pacific market.

A Korean Air official said, “Partnering with Anduril, which possesses exceptional software capabilities, can contribute to enhancing the autonomy of our military’s UAV missions and could mark a turning point in the global drone market.”

Anduril is recognized for its technological expertise in AI-powered defense systems, including UAV command-and-control networks and real-time data analysis.

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