South Korea officially unveils its first Low Observable Wingman UAV System (LOWUS) demonstrator

South Korea has today officially unveiled its first Low Observable Wingman UAV System or LOWUS drone. This drone is planned to operate alongside the locally developed FA50 and KF21 Boaramae fighters.

South Korea unveils its first Low Observable Wingman UAV System (#LOWUS) demonstrator! Developed by #ADD and #KoreanAir, this stealth UAV will team up with fighters like the #FA50 and #KF21, autonomously handling escort, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and strike missions. pic.twitter.com/OPEq40OF80

— Hwarang (@KDefenseInsight) February 25, 2025

The first prototype of the LOWUS was rolled out today at the Korean Air Busan Tech Center in the southeast of the country. This drone was developed by Korean Air together with the Agency for Defense Development, funded by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). The LOWUS program began in 2021 and is scheduled for completion by 2027. The first flight of the first prototype is said to be planned for the end of this year, leading toward the first manned-unmanned teaming flight tests by 2027.

LOWUS includes features like a reduced radar cross-section, construction that makes use of radar-absorbent material, a stealthy trapezoidal fuselage, sharply swept main wins, a V-shaped tail, and an air intake located above the fuselage. The drone is expected to use a domestically produced engine and could be equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. The prototype of this drone looks similar to the ZQ-58A Valkyrie aircraft that was developed by the US. Meanwhile, there are also some visual similarities with the Airpower Teaming System loyal wingman drone- MQ-28 Ghost Bat.

LOWUS is said to be practically applied to KF-21 and FA-50 providing these cheaper fighters with a higher degree of survivability.

Stay tuned with The Tech Outlook for more updates.