Role & capabilities
- Reconnaissance aircraft
- Primary domain
- Air
- System type
- Reconnaissance aircraft
- Developer / manufacturer
- Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)
- Origin / production countries
- South Korea
- Other names
- Songolmae; Songgolmae; RQ 101
- Variants / configurations
- RQ-101; next corps-surveillance UAV is a separate programme
- Operators / programme customers
- Republic of Korea Army
Evidence & current status
KAI identifies Army deployment. Later-generation airframe dimensions and zero-filled webpage fields are excluded.
RQ-101 Songolmae is KAI's corps-level reconnaissance aircraft for the Republic of Korea Army. KAI dates its deployment to 2001 and presents it as the foundation of the company's subsequent unmanned-aircraft work. The current manufacturer page provides a small but identifiable performance baseline: six hours of endurance, a 52-shaft-horsepower powerplant and a maximum speed of 100 knots.
The same webpage also describes the next corps-surveillance UAV. That follow-on aircraft has different dimensions and mass, so its entries must not be copied into the RQ-101 table. Several numerical fields for the successor appear as zero-filled placeholders; these are not valid specifications for either aircraft.
Songolmae's importance in a global directory is its documented place in an operational national reconnaissance fleet, not simply its comparison with newer MALE drones. The reviewed page supports service history and a limited technical baseline, while current fleet size, upgrades and detailed sensor configurations remain gaps. This entry keeps those unknowns visible and does not infer present readiness from an initial deployment date.
2001: Army deployment. KAI dates RQ-101 deployment with the Republic of Korea Army to 2001.
Sourced specifications
Figures apply to the named configuration. Maximum values are not guaranteed operating performance.
| Specification | Reported value | Context & source |
|---|---|---|
| Airframe | Corps-level reconnaissance UAV | Supplier-published figure; configuration and operating conditions affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Launch / recovery | Not established from the reviewed public sources. | Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗ |
| Propulsion | 52 shp powerplant | Supplier-published figure; configuration and operating conditions affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Dimensions | Not established from the reviewed public sources. | Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗ |
| Mass | Not established from the reviewed public sources. | Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗ |
| Endurance | 6 hours | Supplier-published figure; configuration and operating conditions affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Range | Not established from the reviewed public sources. | Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗ |
| Speed | 100 knots maximum | Supplier-published figure; configuration and operating conditions affect performance. Source ↗ |
| Altitude | Not established from the reviewed public sources. | Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗ |
| Payload | Not established from the reviewed public sources. | Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗ |
| Sensors | Not established from the reviewed public sources. | Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗ |
| Communications / navigation | Not established from the reviewed public sources. | Public data gap; no estimate or neighbouring variant value substituted. Source ↗ |
Publication history
- — Added a sourced global catalogue profile with configuration-specific data and explicit evidence limits.
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Follow the evidence
Source types identify who makes the claim. Programme milestones and supplier statements should be read in context.