South Korea on Tuesday unveiled a new stealthy loyal wingman-type drone, the Low Observable Unmanned Wingman System, or LOWUS, which it plans to operate alongside the locally developed KF-21 Boramae next-generation fighter. The new drone is part of a growing fleet of low-observable drones being developed in South Korea as the country seeks to introduce new uncrewed technologies for a range of missions.
The first prototype of the was rolled out at Korean Air’s Busan Tech Center in the southeast of the country. The drone was developed by Korean Air together with the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), a government body responsible for research and development in defense technology, funded by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
The LOWUS program was launched in 2021, with the research and development phase. A first flight of the first prototype is reportedly planned for the end of this year, leading toward the first manned-unmanned teaming flight tests by 2027. These will involve a piloted aircraft directly controlling the drone in flight.
The new drone is being developed from the outset for manned-unmanned teaming, in which it will operate with a significant degree of autonomously alongside crewed combat aircraft. It is expected to undertake missions including reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and strike, in support of crewed fighters, including the KF-21.
In terms of its design, the LOWUS has stealth features, including a reduced radar cross-section and a construction that makes use of radar-absorbent material (RAM). Superficially, the drone looks very similar to the XQ-58A Valkyrie, the stealthy, affordable uncrewed aircraft that has been developed by U.S. drone-maker Kratos.
The LOWUS also has some visual similarities with the Airpower Teaming System loyal wingman drone, now known as the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, which was developed by Boeing’s Australian subsidiary, initially for the Royal Australian Air Force.
Source: The War Zone