Korean Air Lines(003490) teams up with the U.S. electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) corporations Archer Aviation to enter the military advanced air mobility (AAM) business. The plan is to bring in a proven civilian airframe, convert it for military use, localize the technology in stages, and eventually target exports to third countries.
Korean Air Lines said on the 3rd that it is firming up a division of roles and technical cooperation plan with Archer for developing military AAM. Korean Air Lines will bring in Archer's "Midnight" airframe, already validated by the U.S. Air Force, handle the military conversion and system integration to fit the Korean military's needs, while Archer will support technical cooperation and airworthiness certification. Korean Air Lines said this approach can accelerate the timeline for securing a next-generation military air transport system compared with developing it in-house.
As competition in the military AAM sector has intensified recently, securing timing has grown more important. Because it can be used for multiple purposes—from troop and cargo transport to medical evacuation, search and rescue, and special operations support—major countries including the United States are vying for an early lead. In Korea as well, given the terrain with many mountainous and island regions, there have been steady calls to secure aviation assets that can be deployed quickly in emergencies.
The data Archer accumulated during the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness certification process is also cited as a key asset of this partnership. Korean Air Lines believes it can be used to establish domestic AAM airworthiness certification standards and help the government meet its goal of commercializing Korean urban air mobility (K-UAM) in 2028.
A Korean Air Lines Aerospace Division official said, "Military AAM is a blue ocean in which Korea can seize core future aviation power and leadership in the AAM industry," adding, "Based on Korea-U.S. technological cooperation, we will capture the golden time and build a new defense export model."