LIG D&A Begins Development of Unmanned Surface Vehicle for Water Rescue Using Defense Unmanned Technology

Selected as Lead Research and Development Institution for National Fire Agency’s Unmanned Surface Vehicle Project


Launching Development of Unmanned Surface Vehicle for Water Disaster Rescue

LIG Defense & Aerospace (LIG D&A) is launching a full-scale development project for an unmanned surface vehicle for water disaster rescue, leveraging its unmanned systems technology accumulated in the defense sector.

Unmanned Surface Vehicle for Search and Rescue. LIG Defense & Aerospace

On July 27, LIG D&A announced it has been selected as the lead research and development institution for the unmanned surface vehicle development project for the National Fire Agency’s water rescue teams.

This project is being promoted as part of a policy to expand public–private technology cooperation, jointly led by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the National Fire Agency. By adapting military unmanned technology to disaster response, LIG D&A aims to improve the efficiency of rescue operations and enhance the safety of rescue personnel.

Water rescue sites are frequently exposed to hazards, such as strong currents and low visibility, which can endanger not just rescue subjects but also the rescue teams themselves. The unmanned surface vehicle being developed by LIG D&A will be able to enter the field even amid severe weather and high-risk environments, providing real-time situational assessment, information transmission, and support for initial response. In this way, the company expects to lay the foundation for applying unmanned technology to traditional, human-centric rescue systems.

LIG D&A will incorporate autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, remote command and control, and sensor integration technologies—gained throughout its military unmanned surface vehicle development efforts—to create an unmanned vehicle specialized for rescue missions. Notably, from the initial design phase, the company will directly visit rescue teams operating under the National Fire Agency to identify the real operating environment and requirements, ensuring these are reflected in the development process. With this field-oriented approach, LIG D&A plans to not only increase the effectiveness of its equipment but also enhance disaster response efficiency and raise public safety service standards.

The government is continuing its public–private technology cooperation policy to expand civilian applications of technologies originally developed for defense. The goal is to minimize duplicate investment, accelerate technology transfer and industrialization, and thereby strengthen both national defense and industrial competitiveness. This project is a representative example of applying military unmanned technology to disaster response, and it is expected to contribute to improving disaster response capabilities while helping to vitalize the unmanned systems industry. There is also potential to expand the application to a broader range of maritime institutions in the future, including the Korea Coast Guard and others.

Based on this project, LIG D&A plans to expand its business scope across the entire field of maritime unmanned systems. Since 2015, the company has accumulated the necessary technologies and expertise by developing the "Haegeom" series of unmanned surface vehicles through public–private technology cooperation initiatives. In addition, through the "Reconnaissance Unmanned Surface Vehicle System Development" project, which runs until 2027, LIG D&A plans to deliver and deploy unmanned surface vehicles—recognized as the nation’s first combat-suitable models—to the Navy.

LIG D&A anticipates that demand for unmanned surface vehicles will increase in countries such as those in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, where maritime activities are active but rescue infrastructure remains relatively underdeveloped. Drawing on its domestic operational experience, the company is also set to actively pursue entry into these overseas markets.

Shin Yong-hwa, Head of Future Battlefield Business Division at LIG D&A, said, "This project serves as the first step in applying unmanned technology to high-risk rescue sites, and marks a turning point for extending LIG D&A's unmanned surface vehicle technology to the civilian sector. Based on our accumulated technological expertise, we will continue to seek business opportunities both domestically and in global markets."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.