Korean Air KUS-FS

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The Korean Air KUS-FS (Korean Unmanned System–Flight Strategic) is a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (MALE UAV) developed by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD) in March 2022 It was developed for the Korean Air Force’s Group 5 UAV system. Previously known as the MUAV (Medium-Altitude UAV), the KUS-FS is in the same class as the US-built General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper UAV.

Design and development #

The aircraft is 13 m (43 ft) long with a 25 m (82 ft) wingspan and has a height of 3 m (9.8 ft). Powered by a modified 1,200 hp turboprop engine based on the Samsung Techwin SS-760K turbojet engine developed for the SSM-700K C-Star anti-ship missile, it has an endurance in excess of 24 hours while flying at a service ceiling of 13,000 m (43,000 ft), from where its surveillance systems were accurate enough to identify a specific seat within the Seoul Sports Complex 130 km (81 mi) away. It is capable of scanning ground targets 110 km (68 mi) away from an altitude of 10–13 km (33,000-45,000 ft).
The expected delivery time of the KUS-FS is expected to be from the fourth quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024, and the ROKAF plans to procure two to three complete MUAV systems, totaling about 10 air vehicles, with introduction planned by 2025.

Specifications #

Data from Korean Air Aerospace, Hanwha Systems, and LIG Nex1General characteristics

Crew: Unmanned
Length: 13 m (42 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 25 m (82 ft 0 in)
Height: 3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Max takeoff weight: 5,750 kg (12,677 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Hanwha Aerospace turboprop 1,200 hp (890 kW), 24.46 kN (5,500 lbf) thrust (Modified based on Samsung Techwin SS-760K turbojet engine, 4.67 kN (1,050 lbf) thrust)

Performance