Diplomacy Journal Kim Tae Yeon | In a unique competition where AI developed by university and graduate students piloted virtual F-16 fighter jets in aerial combat, a joint team named "Churak-Dorak-ida"—comprising students from Ajou University, Seoul National University, and POSTECH—was crowned the first "AI Pilot Top Gun" award.

The Korea Aerospace University (KAU) held the finals for the "1st Korea Aerospace University President’s Cup 2026 AI Pilot Top Gun Challenge" on September 17 at the University's Electronics Building auditorium.
The winning team, "Churak-Dorak-ida," received the Minister of Science and ICT Award, the Korea Aerospace University President’s Cup, and a cash prize of 10 million won.

A total of 290 different teams and 873 participants nationwide and 16 teams advanced to final competition.
The competition involved AI pilot agents--developed by the students themselves--engaging in one-on-one dogfights using identical F-16 aircraft models and simulation environments to test their algorithms' performance and autonomous decision-making capabilities.
A total of 290 teams and 873 individuals from over 80 different universities across the Republic of Korea registered for the event. 

Following the preliminary rounds in late August, a total of final 16 teams advanced to the main competition, which featured students from 19 different institutions across the Republic of Korea, including the Korea Aerospace University, the Seoul National University, the KAIST, and the Air Force Academy. 
Four of the participating teams were joint teams formed by students from different universities. All matches in the finals were broadcast live via the main auditorium's LED screen and online channels.
A 200-second AI dogfight: autonomous search and attack.

The finals consisted of a morning group stage followed by an afternoon tournament. Each match had a 200-second time limit. An AI would secure an immediate victory by shooting down the opponent's fighter jet with machine-gun fire; if no winner emerged within the time limit, the team with more remaining health won.
Penalties were applied to evasion strategies to prevent teams from winning simply by dodging and stalling for time. Ultimately, the deciding factor was the AI's ability to analyze the combat situation and autonomously make decisions regarding searching, energy management, maneuvering, and the timing of attacks.

A decisive 3–0 victory in the final; undefeated from the preliminaries.
The final match pitted the team "Churak-dorak-ida" against "Bulnabang," a team composed of Seoul National University students. "Churak-dorak-ida" won the final with a set score of 3–0. 
Notably, in all three sets, they shot down the opposing fighter jet before the 200-second time limit expired.
They claimed the top spot in the inaugural tournament without losing a single match from the preliminaries through the finals. 

Team Representative Lee Gyu-yeon explained that the team consisted of software majors who were either currently serving in or had been discharged from the Air Force, and that they had prepared for the competition based on bonds formed through their military service and university studies. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to gain knowledge in AI reinforcement learning and to win the award.

Seoul National University’s "Bulnabang" wins the Grand Prize; total prize money of 30 million won.
The Grand Prize—the Air Force Chief of Staff Award—went to the Seoul National University team, "Bulnabang." The "Fight's On!" team from Yonsei University won the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) Administrator’s Award (Excellence Award), while the "TrAI Everything" team—a joint group from Korea Aerospace University, KAIST, and Sogang University—received the Air Force Education and Training Command Commander’s Award.

In addition, Encouragement Awards, Academic Awards, and Strategy Awards were presented, with a total prize pool of 30 million won. The Grand Prize-winning team, "Churak-dorak-ida," shared the joy of their victory with award presenters, including Hee Young Hur, President of Korea Aerospace University, and Kim Guk-hyun, Director of the Software Policy Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Where AI, Aviation, and Defense Converge: A Venue for Discovering Future Talent
The opening ceremony began with an opening declaration by Ahn Jun-sun, Dean of the College of AI Convergence and the event's organizing committee chair. During the keynote session, Adjunct Professor Lim Sang-min (Defense Acquisition Program Administration) spoke on "Trends and Prospects in Next-Generation Fighter Jet Technology Development," while Jeong So-young, a department head at the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), presented on "Trends and Prospects in UAV Autonomy Technology Development."

In the poster session, teams that advanced to the finals engaged in technical exchanges by directly presenting the designs and training methods of their AI models to industry professionals.

Attendees at the finals and awards ceremony included Kim Guk-hyun (Director of Software Policy, Ministry of Science and ICT), Kim Ki-seok (Deputy Director, KASA), Lee Jeong-seok (Commandant, Air Force ROTC), Lim Seong-sin (Head of AI Development, Korea Aerospace Industries/KAI), and Lee Sang-min (CEO, Realtime Visual).

President Hee Young Hur: "Expanding the Scale Next Year"
Korea Aerospace University President Hee Young Hur noted that interest in the event had been far greater than anticipated from the very beginning of the registration phase. He credited the successful hosting of this inaugural competition to the collaboration between government agencies, sponsoring companies, and the organizing committee. The university also announced plans to further expand and develop the scale of the competition next year. Korea Aerospace University envisions evolving this event beyond a simple student contest into an open innovation platform involving industry, academia, research institutes, government agencies, and the military.

Future plans include expanding the competition format from the current 1-on-1 close-range dogfights to 2-on-2 and multi-aircraft manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) tactics, as well as beyond-visual-range (BVR) engagements. 
The simulations will also progressively incorporate the uncertainties of real-world operational environments, such as electronic warfare (EW) conditions and limitations in sensors and communications.
The ultimate goal is to serve as a recruitment hub for the industry to discover talent skilled in the convergence of AI and aviation, while providing a defense software testbed where research institutes and the military can validate autonomous algorithms developed in the private sector.

This competition was hosted by Korea Aerospace University and organized by its SW-Centered University Project Group, with sponsorship from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA), and the Republic of Korea Air Force. Corporate sponsors included Korean Air, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Hanwha Systems, Hyundai Rotem, LIG Defense & Aerospace, and Realtime Visual.

The inaugural "AI Pilot Top Gun Challenge," which drew 290 teams from across the country, was significant for demonstrating the potential convergence of AI with aviation and defense technologies through student-led algorithm competitions. Korea Aerospace University plans to continuously expand the event, fostering it into a platform that connects future AI talent in the aviation and defense sectors with the necessary technologies.