Korean Air
South Korea's flag carrier airline, whose aerospace division builds military drones in Busan.
On 15 September 2026 Seoul committed 2.16 trillion won to developing a vertical take-off successor to the RQ-102K, the 125.6kg Army reconnaissance drone Korean Air builds as the KUS-FT.
Last refreshed: 1 October 2026
Timeline for Korean Air
Mentioned in: DAPA approves VTOL drone for Korean army
Drones: Industry & DefenceBackground
Korean Air is South Korea's flag carrier and largest airline, controlled by Hanjin KAL. Alongside the airline, its Aerospace Division in Busan builds military drones for the South Korean armed forces.
The division makes the KUS-FT, a 125.6kg fixed-wing drone that Army divisions fly as the RQ-102K for reconnaissance, and the KUS-FS medium-altitude drone. The RQ-102K came out of Korea's own aerospace base, which makes Korean Air one of the country's established domestic drone builders.
The Army now wants a successor that needs no prepared strip. On 15 September 2026 the committee chaired by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration approved a research programme running from 2027 to 2036 for a vertical take-off replacement, and kept the work inside South Korea's domestic industry rather than opening it to foreign makers.