Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

The Ministry of National Defense (MND, Minister Kang Shin-chul) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim) jointly held a kickoff meeting for the RAM-C AI Agent R&D project at the Daejeon Convention Center (DCC) on November 4, 2026. Around 100 participants attended, including representatives from the lead R&D organization, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), as well as the Army, Navy, Air Force, the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), and the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality (DTaQ).

The two ministries will jointly carry out the 48-month RAM-C AI Agent R&D project, which has a total budget of KRW 30 billion. It is designed to accelerate the digital transformation of military logistics and maximize weapon system availability and operational efficiency.

The project aims to develop technology for collecting, managing, and analyzing data generated throughout a weapon system’s life cycle by combining infrastructure that integrates military logistics data, intelligent models that analyze reliability, availability, maintainability, and cost (RAM-C), and intelligent decision support tools that draw on the combined analysis.

Once deployed in the field, a system powered by the RAM-C AI agent will allow military users to analyze life-cycle costs and efficiency by mission type and determine the best operating and maintenance policies in a timely manner.

To maximize the technology’s effectiveness, MND plans to rigorously assess its suitability for operational use by testing it on representative weapon systems currently in service across the land, maritime, and air domains, including the K2 main battle tank, Maritime Surveillance Radar-II, and FA-50 fighter aircraft.

Field testing will help correct errors and resolve discrepancies between the technology under development and actual field operations. This will make operational data more reliable and help set realistic RAM targets and estimate appropriate sustainment costs when developing future weapon systems.

Drawing on analyses of weapon systems’ operating and support costs based on reliable data, MOTIR plans to work with MND to significantly strengthen Korea’s position in export negotiations for domestically produced weapon systems and bolster confidence in follow-on maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services.

The project will also conduct an integrated analysis covering demand forecasts for spare parts, parts inventory management, and cost estimates across the weapon system life cycle. The results are expected to lay the groundwork for collaboration with Korean materials, parts, and equipment (MPE) companies to proactively manage parts obsolescence and plan the development of domestic alternatives.

MND and MOTIR will continue to work closely with KAI, the lead R&D organization, and with partners across industry, academia, research institutes, and the military to ensure the project’s success.