Next Corps Surveillance UAV
Korea Aerospace Industries · South Korea · Updated
Next Corps Surveillance UAV is a long-endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft concept developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) of South Korea. KAI lists it under its advanced-research programmes rather than its fielded products, as a larger successor to the corps-level reconnaissance UAVs South Korea's Army has operated since the early 2000s.
Overview
The RQ-101 Songgolmae, South Korea's existing corps-level surveillance UAV, was developed by the Agency for Defense Development and KAI, completed development in 2000, and entered Army service in 2002 after the Army had previously relied on Israeli-built IAI Searcher UAVs for the same mission. According to Wikipedia, KAI has been developing a successor, referred to as the NCUAV ("Next Corps UAV"), since 2012 to replace the RQ-101 after a 2009–2011 performance-improvement programme and later minor upgrades ran out of budget by 2015. KAI's own product literature lists the Next Corps Surveillance UAV alongside the RQ-101 under its UAV business line, describing it only as a "long endurance, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance UAV" and giving dimensions and weight but no disclosed endurance, range, speed or payload figures, consistent with a concept or advanced-research design rather than one in production or service.
Design and capabilities
KAI's listing gives the Next Corps Surveillance UAV a 17 m wingspan, a 9 m length, a 3 m height and a maximum take-off weight of 1,700 kg — substantially larger than the fielded RQ-101 Songgolmae. That size places it in the same broad class as medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) military UAVs, though KAI has not published payload, endurance, range, speed or ceiling figures, or disclosed an engine type.
Use cases
As a corps-level ISR asset, the Next Corps Surveillance UAV is intended to give South Korean Army corps commanders persistent, long-range reconnaissance and surveillance over the kind of area a smaller, shorter-range UAV such as the RQ-101 cannot cover for as long. KAI has not disclosed a customer, contract or fielding timeline for the type.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Next Corps Surveillance UAV in service?
No. KAI lists it among its advanced research and development projects rather than its fielded products, and has not disclosed a service entry date.
How big is the Next Corps Surveillance UAV?
KAI gives a 17 m wingspan, 9 m length, 3 m height and a maximum take-off weight of 1,700 kg.
What is the Next Corps Surveillance UAV meant to replace?
It is intended as a larger, longer-endurance successor to the RQ-101 Songgolmae (Night Intruder 300), the corps-level surveillance UAV South Korea's Army has operated since 2002.
Who makes the Next Corps Surveillance UAV?
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the South Korean aerospace manufacturer that also builds the RQ-101 Songgolmae and the Night Intruder family of UAVs.
