“Illegal Drones, Freeze!” Korean-Developed Radar Takes On the Global Defense Market

October 25, 2023

Unofficial English summary. Original coverage: read in Korean.

TORIS, a startup founded in 2020 by DGIST researcher Dr. Dae-gun Oh, is entering the global defense market with an anti-drone radar built entirely on Korean technology, Herald Business reported.

At a demonstration at the Goheung Drone Center in South Jeolla Province, attended by about 50 people, the AI-based AESA radar detected an approaching simulated hostile drone with an RCS of 0.03 m² at about 13 km. It also detected, identified and tracked a DJI Phantom 4 with an RCS of 0.01 m² at about 10 km.

The report compared this with the 3 km tracking range of a major UK company, identified only as Company B, putting TORIS’s range at more than three times that figure.

Over roughly 40 minutes of flights, including approaching, departing and crossing targets over land and sea, the radar did not lose a single drone. AI filtering also helped distinguish ground vehicles and small vessels.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration verified the radar’s performance in 2021 through its rapid pilot acquisition program. TORIS later extended its maximum detection range using domestic technology alone.

At ADEX 2023 in Seoul, TORIS displayed the radar alongside Hyundai WIA’s counter-drone integrated defense system (ADS). Dr. Oh said a mass-production version had been launched in July, that a production plant was due in the first half of 2024, and that TORIS could become a key player in Korea’s defense exports.

Other outlets added details: Money Today and BBS News identified the product as the “Eliza” radar, and Daegu Shinmun stressed that every target was identified during the 40-minute run.