September 10, 2026

BY Airbility

South Korean aerospace and defense company Airbility has raised KRW 6.5 billion ($4.7 million) in Series A funding led by Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Sazze Partners, bringing the company's total funding to KRW 10.5 billion ($7.6 million).

The company's valuation was not disclosed.

Existing investor Stonebridge Ventures participated in the round, while Industrial Bank of Korea joined as a new shareholder. Airbility's other investors include Samho Green Investment, Mashup Ventures, BASS Ventures and 500 Global.

The investment marks Sazze Partners' first investment in the defense sector. Founded in 2018, the venture firm has invested in more than 100 companies across artificial intelligence, software and consumer technology.

Airbility plans to use the new funding to accelerate commercialization of an integrated counter-unmanned aircraft system portfolio built around high-speed electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft.

The company's portfolio includes the AB-U10, a net-gun-equipped interceptor designed to reach approximately 180 kilometers per hour, and the AB-U60 mothership platform. Airbility is also developing the AB-U2, a compact kinetic interceptor designed for deployment from the mothership, and the AB-U4L, a fixed-wing interceptor launched from a ground-based launcher that is designed to reach approximately 300 kilometers per hour.

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The company plans to commercialize the AB-U10 by the end of 2026, followed by the AB-U2 and AB-U4L during the first half of 2027. The AB-U60 is targeted for launch in 2027.

Airbility also plans to expand the artificial intelligence capabilities of its aircraft to support autonomous missions in environments where communications may be limited. The system is designed to integrate information from external detection systems, including radar and electro-optical and infrared sensors, linking detection, interception and post-engagement assessment.

The company said it will simultaneously expand its manufacturing capabilities in 3D printing, composite airframes, battery systems and flight-control software.

Airbility was founded by researchers involved in the development of South Korea's KT-1, T-50 and KF-21 aircraft at the Agency for Defense Development, along with professionals with backgrounds at Hyundai Motor, the MIT Media Lab, LG Electronics and Genesis Design. Three of its senior technical leaders spent between 25 and 31 years at the Agency for Defense Development.

About 80% of Airbility's 26 employees work in research and development, according to the company.

In December 2025, Airbility completed transition-flight demonstrations involving three prototype aircraft. The tests were intended to validate the company's eVTOL design, flight-control systems and overall integration. Its 4-kilogram-class AB-U4 entered commercialization in 2025.

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Airbility is targeting the growing demand for lower-cost counter-drone systems, arguing that traditional air-defense interceptors can be significantly more expensive than the drones they are designed to defeat. The company estimates that its air-to-air approach could reduce the cost of an engagement to between about $50 and $3,000, depending on configuration.

The company also expects its domestically developed AB-series systems to cost roughly one-tenth as much as comparable overseas systems. Airbility said this could provide an advantage in international markets where customers face restrictions on equipment origin and lengthy procurement processes.

The company is currently in commercial discussions with potential customers in more than nine countries across the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Latin America. Airbility said four memorandums of understanding and two joint-venture initiatives are also in progress.

In South Korea, the company recently received KRW 3 billion ($2.2 million) in research and development support through the Korea AeroSpace Administration's 2026 Scale-Up TIPS program. It is also pursuing domestic projects involving the Republic of Korea Marine Corps and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.

"Airbility is tackling the cost asymmetry in counter-drone defense with a system that combines a high-speed eVTOL mothership with small interceptors," said Kiha Lee, a partner at Sazze Partners.

Airbility co-CEO Jinmo Lee said the funding would allow the company to accelerate commercialization and expand from individual aircraft sales toward integrated counter-UAS systems.

The company is targeting KRW 50 billion in cumulative revenue by 2028 as it seeks to convert its international pipeline into contracts and establish itself as a Korean defense technology supplier.