Korean Air Mid-altitude Unmanned Air Vehicle (MUAV)

History

Developing military capabilities for South Korea is an ongoing priority, with potential enemies in both North Korea and China. As a result, the country has launched a new type of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the form of Korean Airs mid-air unmanned aerial vehicle (MUAV). In 2012, as part of the project, a technology demonstrator was flown and full development began in 2013.

However, development delays have pushed the launch of this new product into operational service by a few years possibly 2019 or 2020.

The MUAV has a traditional design layout: a slim and rounded body that accommodates the appropriate mission and operating equipment, with a spherical nose. The rear end of the structure is the engine mount, marked by the rear air intake. This engine drives the rear multi-bladed propeller unit (like the classic General Atomics "Predator" series) in a "propeller" configuration. Wings The main wing is straight (with the ends truncated) and is located amidships while being mounted low along the sides of the fuselage. The rear wing consists of a pair of outwardly curved vertical surfaces and a downward vertical plane.

Along the bottom of the fuselage are three bubble-like protrusions that hold optics and sensors - a spherical turret-style unit mounted in the chin position, an elongated fairing in front of the main aircraft, and a shorter elongated protrusion in the rear .The wheeled landing gear is retractable and consists of a front leg and a pair of main landing gear legs.

Structurally, the MUAV is known to have a total wingspan of 82 feet and a length of 43 feet, slightly larger than General Atomics' MQ-9 Reaper-class UCAV (detailed elsewhere on this page). Battery life is estimated to be around 24 hours, with service reportedly capped at 39,000 feet. Internally, the MUAV is set up to carry a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in a mid fairing.

A chin-mounted turret manages the electro-optical (EO)/infrared (IR) camera group.

Due to the presence of four underwing pylons (two on the underside of each wing), the aircraft has unmanned combat aircraft (UCAV) capability, which means it has the inherent ability to carry and launch guided air-to-surface or precision missiles Potential - Guided drop bombs. Up to six would be attached to four hardpoints - possibly two for each inboard station, and possibly separate missiles/bombs for each outboard station.

Sources say two different versions of the MUAV are being produced for the South Korean military - one with a strict intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance (ISR) mission and the other with full operational capability. Therefore, this type can be used to support ongoing ground force operations by scanning and tracking potential threats and enemy movements. Armed forms have the ability to attack specific targets. There is even greater potential for the use of MUAVs in humanitarian relief efforts and border control operations.

Notably, the Republic of Korea Air Force will also receive the proven Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk (Block 30) ISR UAV in the near future, and will likely incorporate U.S.-designed UAVs Combined with their new homegrown MUAV collection.

Specification

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