ABU DHABI (January 22, 2026) — LIG Nex1 held a contract commemoration event yesterday with Shield AI at UMEX 2026 (Unmanned Systems Exhibition and Conference), held in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The event was organized to commemorate the signing of a contract for a project involving the integration, flight, and testing of LIG Nex1’s multi-purpose drone-launched guided missile (L-MDM) on Shield AI’s vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft, V-BAT. Attendees included LIG Nex1 CEO Ik-hyun Shin, Shield AI’s executive vice president of business development and strategy Bob Harward, and other key representatives from both companies.

The L-MDM is an air-to-ground guided missile designed for drone integration and is a small, lightweight weapon system currently under in-house development by LIG Nex1. Using laser guidance, the L-MDM is capable of precision strikes against both fixed and moving targets, contributing to increased standoff distance and enhanced survivability for operators. In particular, it is designed for easy integration with existing rotary-wing or fixed-wing surveillance and reconnaissance drone platforms, offering high flexibility across a wide range of unmanned platforms.

Going forward, the two companies plan to strengthen their competitiveness in the rapidly diversifying global market through the establishment of a strategic partnership in unmanned aircraft and onboard weapon systems, as well as through long-term collaboration.

LIG Nex1 and Shield AI previously signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in May of last year at the International Maritime Defense Industry Exhibition (MADEX 2025) to cooperate on the development of manned-unmanned teaming and autonomous operation systems.