Sacheon: Korean Aerospace Industries Co. (KAI) and South Korean portal operator Naver Corp. are joining forces to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model tailored for the defense sector.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the collaboration was formalized through a memorandum of understanding signed by KAI, Naver, and its cloud arm, Naver Cloud, at KAI's headquarters in Sacheon.

The agreement will see the integration of Naver's AI and cloud technologies with KAI's aerospace expertise and defense system integration capabilities. The objective is to create an AI foundation model optimized for defense applications. The partnership also aims to bolster sovereign AI capabilities for defense, develop proprietary AI models, advance physical AI technologies, and expand South Korea's defense AI ecosystem.

Sovereign AI systems are those independently developed and operated to comply with a country's specific data, language, regulatory, and security needs. Key focus areas include technologies for autonomous flight and mission execution in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and developing an AI platform for next-generation combat systems.

The collaboration extends to physical AI technologies, such as AI pilots and autonomous UAV platforms. These will be integrated with KAI's next-generation air combat system, which connects manned and unmanned fighter aircraft, satellites, and other battlefield assets into a cohesive combat network.