Collaborating with the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Meteorological Administration, DAPA will develop the stratosphere endurance UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) design technology by 2017, by investing 45.2 billion won in total.

Last December 27, DAPA held a meeting to start the “stratosphere endurance UAV design technology” with relevant officials of four ministries at ADD (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 50 km, has technical validity and practicality.

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.