By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

Korean Air has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (TA) with Anduril, a US defense company, to establish partnerships in the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sector in Korea and the Asia-Pacific region.

The signing ceremony took place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Key officials from both companies, including Lim Jin-gyu, head of Korean Air's Aerospace Division, and Palmer Luckey, founder of Anduril, attended the event.

Anduril signed partnerships with major Korean defense companies at the official launch of its Korean branch, hosted by the US Department of Commerce's Bureau of Commercial Service and organized by the US Embassy in Korea.

Korean Air and Anduril, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for technological cooperation in the UAV sector in April, have been in continuous consultation to establish specific goals.

The two companies agreed to explore the following: ▲ joint development of a Korean-style UAV model based on Anduril products; ▲ licensed production and export of Anduril products to the Asia-Pacific region; and ▲ establishing Anduril's Asian UAV production base in Korea.

The two companies shared the goal of entering the Asia-Pacific UAV market and also agreed to establish a mutually cooperative system for the development of UAVs based on mission autonomy. Based on the contents of this cooperation agreement (TA), further negotiations are planned, with a final contract expected early next year.