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ADSYSTEM

에이디시스템

Korean drone startup founded in May 2019 that builds low-observable (stealth) VTOL reconnaissance UAVs and training multicopters for the military. Its AD-3000 stealth VTOL drone is in service with the Republic of Korea Army and a major domestic defense prime, and the armed AD-4000 is due in 2027. Core technologies include radar-signature reduction with selectively applied radar-absorbing material, non-GPS navigation using visual-inertial odometry and SLAM, anti-jam datalinks, and terminal-phase evasive flight, validated in Agency for Defense Development tests. Closed a KRW 13B Series A led by LB Investment in September 2026 and holds a KRW 8.7B Army contract for 3,792 AD-ME1 training drones.

Founded

2019

Headquarters

Cheonan, South Korea

Revenue

$2M

Website

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stealth VTOL UAVs reconnaissance drones training drones non-GPS navigation radar-absorbing materials

ADSYSTEM at a glance

ADSYSTEM is a South Korean defense company based in Cheonan, founded in 2019. Makes AD-2100 VTOL, AD-3000 Stealth VTOL Reconnaissance Drone, AD-4000 Armed Stealth VTOL and 1 more systems.

ADSYSTEM Products & Systems

AD-2100 VTOL

UAV/Drone

Entry-level 4+1 VTOL fixed-wing UAV for civil and military reconnaissance and survey. First delivered in September 2020; 26 units ordered between December 2022 and July 2024.

AD-3000 Stealth VTOL Reconnaissance Drone

UAV/Drone

AD-3000

Low-observable vertical-takeoff-and-landing fixed-wing reconnaissance UAV with a 15 kg maximum takeoff weight, 2.5 kg payload, 150-minute endurance, and 30 km operating radius. Radar-signature reduction of about 80 percent, verified at Ohio State University's ElectroScience Laboratory, comes from low-observable shaping and radar-absorbing coating applied to key surfaces. Navigates without GPS using visual-inertial odometry and SLAM, with an anti-jam datalink and evasive terminal flight. About 95 percent domestic content. Supplied to the Republic of Korea Army and a major Korean defense prime; set a domestic small-UAV record of 2 hours 55 minutes of continuous flight in May 2026. The larger armed AD-4000 (35 kg MTOW, 10 kg payload) is due in 2027.

In service since 2025

AD-4000 Armed Stealth VTOL

UAV/Drone

Larger stealth VTOL drone for reconnaissance and strike, able to carry weapons. Completion targeted within 2027; Series A proceeds fund its development.

AD-ME1 Training Multicopter

UAV/Drone

100 percent domestically made educational multicopter selected for the ROK Army's 500,000 drone warriors training program; 3,792 units under an KRW 8.7B contract due by December 2026.

Latest ADSYSTEM News

Stealth drone startup ADSYSTEM closes 13 billion won Series A led by LB Investment after Army training-drone win

ADSYSTEM (AD System), a Cheonan-based drone maker founded in May 2019 by former Air Force maintenance warrant officer Kim Jung-ho, closed a 13 billion won (~$9.9 million) Series A round announced September 16, 2026. LB Investment led, with KDB, JB Investment, Smilegate Investment, Mirae Asset Venture Investment, Mirae Asset Capital, Flux Ventures, and Innopolis Partners participating, taking reported cumulative funding to about 18.4 billion won after a 300 million won seed in 2024 and a 3 billion won pre-A round in August 2025. The company builds low-observable vertical-takeoff reconnaissance drones (the 15 kg AD-3000 in service and the 35 kg armed AD-4000 due in 2027) that navigate without GPS using visual-inertial odometry and SLAM, with anti-jam datalinks and evasive terminal flight validated in Agency for Defense Development tests. On July 30, 2026 it signed an 8.7 billion won Army contract for 3,792 AD-ME1 training multicopters, due by December 27, 2026 under the 500,000 drone warriors program. Proceeds go to a larger automated plant in Hwaseong and completion of the AD-4000.

| Money Today / Financial News / Seoul Economic Daily
startup ADSYSTEM drones funding