IAI and KAI to jointly develop loitering munitions
HARPY is an all-weather day/night "Fire and Forget" autonomous weapon, launched from a ground vehicle behind the battle zone. (Photo: Israel Aerospace Industries)
This week, at ADEX 2021, IAI and KAI have signed an MoU for the development of a loitering munition
Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) have signed a memorandum of understanding on a loitering munitions programme.
The MoU seeks to secure a new concept weapons system that will maximise the effectiveness of suppression and destruction of enemy air defences missions.
Cooperation between IAI and KAI will offer the South Korean military new technologies and will establish concrete cooperation plans through joint feasibility studies.
IAI will benefit from a closer relationship with the Koran manufacturer and will bring its expertise as a global leader in developing loitering munition systems.
The new concept weapon system will be able to perform long-endurance reconnaissance missions and can strike a target immediately when necessary.
This is, at least, the second MoU the companies have signed together this year.
In March 2021, the companies signed a collaborative agreement on the development of loitering munitions, with particular attention on crewed-uncrewed teaming.
The Harpy is one of IAI’s flagship (or rather drone) loitering munition products.
According to Shephard Defence Insight, the Harpy NG is stored, transported, deployed and launched from a canister mounted on a ground-based launcher which can be mounted on both naval or land-based vehicles.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Defence Notes
-
![Industrial capacity under scrutiny as US approves further $8.6 billion Middle East arms sale]()
Industrial capacity under scrutiny as US approves further $8.6 billion Middle East arms sale
The fast-tracked emergency approvals come as the conflict in the Middle East stretches out into its third month, after Iranian attacks depleted US allies’ missile stockpiles and testing air defence systems.
-
![Intelligence innovation: From data overload to decision advantage (Podcast)]()
Intelligence innovation: From data overload to decision advantage (Podcast)
As militaries face an overwhelming flow of data, the challenge is shifting from collection to delivering fast, actionable insights that drive decision-making. Advances in AI and data integration are helping armed forces move beyond siloed systems to generate real-time intelligence across domains and allies.
-
![SAHA 2026 to Convene the Global Defence Ecosystem]()
SAHA 2026 to Convene the Global Defence Ecosystem
SAHA 2026 brings global defence and aerospace leaders to Istanbul for partnerships, launches, panels and high-value meetings.
-
![Teledyne FLIR adds GPS-denied 3D-mapping capabilities to its CBRN uncrewed platforms]()
Teledyne FLIR adds GPS-denied 3D-mapping capabilities to its CBRN uncrewed platforms
In a partnership with Emesent, Teledyne FLIR will equip its autonomous air, ground and detection systems with the Hovermap LiDAR payload in a move that highlights a broader market shift towards modular architectures, shared payloads and interoperability across platforms.
-
![US seeks 32% boost for missile defence budget with $23 billion earmarked for interceptors]()
US seeks 32% boost for missile defence budget with $23 billion earmarked for interceptors
The Pentagon’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes an impressive increase in the procurement of interceptors, with the number of the US Army’s PAC-3 MSE rounds expanding by 683%, the US Navy’s Standard Missile by 365% and the MDA’s SM-3 IIA by more than 1,000%.
-
![US Army partners with Global Military Products to surge munitions production]()
US Army partners with Global Military Products to surge munitions production
Global Military Products was selected by the US Army to operate the Quad Cities Cartridge Case Facility and ramp up the production of various calibre shell cases.
