Officials from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, HJ Shipbuilding and Construction, SK Oceanplant and Hanwha Ocean pose for a photo with U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command officials at a Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in the United States, in this undated photo provided by DAPA on Nov. 17, 2023. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s arms procurement agency said Friday it will push for a joint research project on high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles with U.S. defense giant Boeing.
Officials from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and Boeing agreed to collaborate on the project at the company’s headquarters in Washington on Thursday, after signing a memorandum of understanding for joint research and development of advanced weapons systems in April.
DAPA said it aims for South Korean companies to ultimately be in charge of the advanced aircraft’s production, with Boeing providing its design and unmanned technology.
The two sides also agreed to cooperate on the maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade of Boeing’s aircraft used by the South Korean military, although they did not decide on the specific models for the project.
South Korea operates F-15K fighter jets, E-737 early warning and control aircraft, and AH-64E Apache attack helicopters built by Boeing.
Separately, DAPA officials visited major shipyards in the United States with officials from four South Korean shipbuilders — HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, HJ Shipbuilding and Construction, SK Oceanplant and Hanwha Ocean — from Monday to Wednesday.
They also visited the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington on Thursday to discuss arms industry cooperation and for South Korean companies to potentially participate in U.S. Navy projects.
(Yonhap)
