Drone AI company Nearthlab said on Tuesday it signed a memorandum of understanding with defense company LIG Defense & Aerospace (LIG D&A) to build a cooperation framework in the interceptor drone business.

The agreement centres on combining Nearthlab's AI software and autonomous flight-based interceptor drone technology with LIG D&A's capabilities in system integration for an integrated air defense network.

According to the company, Nearthlab's KAiDEN (카이든) is an interceptor drone capable of flying at speeds of more than 250 km per hour. It can independently track enemy drones through AI vision technology and neutralise them by collision, or hard kill, even in GPS-denied areas or under jamming conditions.

The two companies plan to use the MOU to deepen cooperation on developing a hard-kill close defense system for counter-drone operations, developing derivative interceptor drone models for counter-drone use, and cooperating in the counter-drone interceptor drone field for domestic and export markets.

Nearthlab CEO Jae-hyuk Choi (최재혁) said, "I feel a great sense of responsibility as we build a global joint front with LIG D&A." He added, "With AI interceptor drone technology, we will successfully introduce the combat-ready integrated counter-drone solution demanded by the global market."