AM System sets sights on tactical drone market with EasyDrone and K-Robin

"We will lead the fielding of small unmanned aerial vehicles capable of both reconnaissance and strike missions through the fixed-wing vertical-takeoff-and-landing K-Robin UAV and the low-cost, mass-producible EasyDrone."

Kim Young-ik, chief executive of AM System, made the remarks in an interview at the company's Daejeon headquarters on Wednesday, adding that the firm is "focused on simultaneously raising survivability and operational efficiency through composite materials and integrated control technology."

AM System is an engineering research and development company specializing in structural design and analysis for aircraft, satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles. The company is targeting the Ministry of National Defense's drone and counter-drone fielding policy as well as the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's tactical drone procurement project, leading with its fixed-wing VTOL K-Robin series and the low-cost, mass-production EasyDrone.

The K-Robin G, developed by AM System, is a medium-to-long-range VTOL unmanned aircraft using lift-and-cruise hybrid flight technology, designed to secure both flight stability and long-range operational efficiency.

It is built to carry out multipurpose missions including surveillance, reconnaissance and target strike. The company says it has achieved a high level of technical maturity in fuel systems, vibration control, automatic flight control and telemetry integration.

AM System has recently focused on building UAVs using carbon fiber composite materials. The basic airframe is a V-tail fixed-wing VTOL design, with carbon composites used throughout the body to enhance durability and ballistic survivability.

"Wood has some shortcomings in durability, and the military — our customer — fundamentally prefers carbon materials," Kim said. "Because carbon involves a complex and labor-intensive molding process, the airframe price rises at least 1.5 to two times compared to wood." He described the choice as one tailored to military demand, which prioritizes durability and resilience to battle damage despite the higher cost.

AM System took the top prize in the long-range loitering munition category at the 4th Minister of National Defense Dronebot Challenge, hosted by the Ministry of National Defense in November last year, with its Robin UAV. The company recorded the highest scores across key evaluation criteria including flight stability, operational efficiency and autonomous mission capability.

"It was a meaningful occasion where the UAV development technology we have accumulated over more than a decade was officially validated," Kim said. "This award is not simply the result of a competition — it is proof that domestically developed technology can make a real contribution to the advancement of the military's unmanned systems."

The differentiating factor AM System highlights in the defense market is what it calls in-house design and analysis capability. The company organizes its teams around aircraft design engineers, structural and aerodynamic analysis engineers, and fluid dynamics engineers, applying aircraft-grade processes to UAV development.

This gives the company the ability to run the full cycle — from design through structural and aerodynamic analysis, vibration analysis, fluid dynamics analysis and structural testing — entirely in-house. That capability could be a significant consideration when DAPA looks for partners to collaborate with from the design stage, rather than simple finished-product suppliers.

The platoon-level throwable EasyDrone is an airframe designed strictly for low cost and mass production. To address the vulnerability of corrugated cardboard and paper drones — widely used both domestically and abroad — to rain and environmental exposure, AM System uses a waterproof-certified material that reduces the risk of degradation even when exposed to rain.

The EasyDrone's operational concept is an ultralight drone that two soldiers can launch by hand. The current airframe weighs about 2.5 kilograms, and the design allows for throw-and-fly operation at up to about 5 kilograms when carrying a light weapons payload. It uses battery propulsion and targets a flight time of about two hours.

Military officials have responded positively. "We have conducted flight demonstrations at several exhibitions," Kim said, adding that attendees assessed it as "an airframe that platoon- and company-level units can use right away for reconnaissance and light loitering munition missions."

Low cost does not mean limited capability. The EasyDrone incorporates waypoint-based navigation. Once a specific target point or flight path is set, the aircraft flies that route automatically.

"Once a location is reported via radar or other means, we input the waypoint coordinates and the aircraft flies straight to that point," Kim said. "Because it is a low-cost airframe, we cannot use expensive guidance, control equipment or sensors — but we have designed it so that small frontline units can operate it with simplified sensors and control devices alone."

AM System plans to develop a next-generation tactical counter-drone platform integrating AI-based autonomous flight systems with guidance and control technology.

"We will continue advancing toward a more sophisticated tactical unmanned system through AI and sensor fusion technology," Kim said.