DAPA To Develop New Stratosphere Endurance UAV Design By 2017

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) is planning to develop the stratosphere endurance UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) design technology by 2017, with an estimated cost $42 million (45.2 billion won).

Last December 27, DAPA held a meeting to start the "stratosphere endurance UAV design technology" with relevant officials of four ministries at ADD (the Agency for Defense Development) and signed an MOU for mutual cooperation.

The project of the stratosphere endurance UAV design technology is to demonstrate whether an ultra-light UAV, which can collect weather data or relay communication, staying in the air for three days in the stratosphere, at the height of 10 to 50km, has technical validity and practicality.

Although the average temperature of the stratosphere is around –75 degree celcius and the air density is only 7% that of the ground, it has less weather phenomenon and its altitude is lower than the space thus is able to observe precisely and actively as compared with satellites. The DAPA official said, “If the stratosphere endurance UAV is put to practical use, it can be used for various purposes such as precise observation of the ground and the sea, communications relay, environment and disaster monitoring, and all-weather observation such as typhoons.

”For this project, DAPA is liable for 18 billion won, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for 19 billion won, and the Korea Meteorological Administration for 8.2 billion won. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning takes a role to adjust and control by managing governmental department councils and a civil-military technical cooperation special committee. DAPA is responsible for system integration, UAV design, development of a complex propulsion system based on solar cells, and testing and evaluation in this development project.