Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), South Korea's sole aircraft manufacturer, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a United Arab Emirates (UAE) defense company to cooperate in the aerospace sector. The agreement aims to explore business opportunities in global markets by leveraging the two companies' technologies and expertise. It includes plans for expanded exports of defense products to Middle Eastern markets.
On November 19, 2025, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), South Korea's sole aircraft manufacturer, announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with EDGE Platforms and Systems, a unit of the UAE's defense conglomerate EDGE Group, to cooperate in the aerospace sector. The agreement seeks to explore business opportunities in global markets by leveraging the two companies' technologies and expertise.
KAI and EDGE Platforms and Systems plan to pursue technology cooperation, joint research and production, and expanded exports of defense products to Middle Eastern markets. Areas of potential collaboration include fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services.
"This partnership provides both parties with an important opportunity to combine their aerospace capabilities and create new growth drivers," said KAI Senior Executive Vice President Cha Jae-byoung in the press release. The MOU represents a strategic move for KAI to strengthen ties with the UAE in the global aerospace market, enhancing its competitive edge through international technology exchange.