Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has entered into a partnership with South Korea's Defense Rapid Acquisition Technology Research Institute (DRATRI) to undertake the development of an advanced tactical flight training system, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI).
The agreement, valued at KRW 35.5 billion, aims to create a simulation-based training program that leverages AI capabilities for enhanced realism and improved training outcomes.
The proposed AI simulator goes beyond conventional scenarios by incorporating virtual representations of both friendly and enemy aircraft, derived from extensive big data analysis. This breakthrough enables large-scale training exercises that closely mimic real-life situations.
The development timeline spans a period of 30 months, during which KAI will construct AI-powered virtual aircraft and integrate them into virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) simulators.
The South Korean military has faced challenges in conducting comprehensive flight training due to constraints such as limited airspace availability and public concerns regarding noise pollution. To address these limitations, the concept of an AI simulation flight training system was introduced.
Following a thorough assessment of technical feasibility and usability, it was determined that the project would be pursued as a rapid research and development initiative.
“Rapid research and development projects are essential in order to quickly apply rapidly developing cutting-edge technologies to the defense sector and shorten the long acquisition period for weapons systems," said DRATRI official. "We will carry out active project management to establish an optimal training environment for the South Korean military.”
Meanwhile, KAI has been continuously engaged in technological research to advance simulator capabilities, including self-developed VR simulators and the exploration of AI-based virtual aircraft. With a robust infrastructure for simulator development, KAI has successfully delivered 60 simulators to 19 military bases across seven countries over the past 23 years, earning recognition for its technological prowess.
Expanding its scope beyond aviation, KAI is venturing into ship simulators and is actively involved in the development of a metaverse simulator utilizing VR and MR technologies.
