KUS-HD

KUS-HD is a hybrid-powered multirotor drone developed by South Korea's Korean Air Aerospace Division for firefighting, search-and-rescue and public-safety surveillance. Korean Air has been developing the type since 2016, and in 2021 the company began supplying it to South Korean fire and emergency-response agencies as the KUS-HD-NEO21.

Overview

Korean Air combines a battery with an internal-combustion engine in the KUS-HD, which the company says extends flight time well beyond what a battery-only drone of similar size can manage. In June 2021, Korean Air signed a deal with the Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters, on the South Korean island of Jeju, to supply hybrid drones under a "Firefighting Tactical Drone Project," with the aircraft intended to feed Jeju's accident-management system with real-time video of fire and accident scenes and to help search for missing people in terrain that is hard for ground crews to reach. Korean Air has also supplied the type to the city of Busan and to South Korea's navy and air force, and has said it plans to offer it to the Korea Forest Service, police and power-plant operators, as well as pursue export sales. The Korean Air Aerospace Division designed the aircraft to fold for transport and to require less preparation time than earlier models before flight.

Design and capabilities

Korean Air's hybrid powertrain gives the KUS-HD a flight time of about two hours, compared with roughly 30 minutes for a comparable battery-only drone. The aircraft has a top speed of 72 km/h and a maximum altitude of 500 m. It carries electro-optical and infrared cameras that stream real-time video for surveillance and monitoring. Korean Air has not published the aircraft's dimensions, weight or payload capacity.

Use cases

South Korean fire and public-safety agencies use the KUS-HD for real-time monitoring of fires and accident scenes, for search-and-rescue operations in terrain difficult for ground teams to reach, and as part of beyond-visual-line-of-sight remote-monitoring systems that Jeju's fire service has worked to establish.

Frequently asked questions

What is the flight time of the KUS-HD?

Korean Air's hybrid battery-and-engine powertrain gives it about two hours of flight time, versus roughly 30 minutes for a similarly sized battery-only drone.

Who operates the KUS-HD?

South Korea's Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters, the city of Busan, and South Korea's navy and air force; Korean Air has said it plans to offer it to the Korea Forest Service and police as well.

What is the KUS-HD used for?

Firefighting support, search and rescue, and accident-scene surveillance, feeding real-time video to emergency-management systems.

How fast and how high can the KUS-HD fly?

Korean Air rates it at a top speed of 72 km/h and a maximum altitude of 500 m.

Who makes the KUS-HD?

Korean Air's Aerospace Division, which has developed the type since 2016.