Starlink Security and the Valkyrie
The fact that Starlink Aviation had secured a contract not only for the T-50 advanced trainer jets but also for the construction of an air force base spread among the major domestic conglomerates. President Jo Yoon-je began receiving lobbying efforts from various firms and reached out to Taesik via phone to ask for his opinion.
"CEO, to whom should we entrust the construction of the Iraq air force base? Each conglomerate is approaching me individually, and it’s becoming very difficult to manage."
"Starlink Aviation doesn't have the internal capacity to handle it alone, right?"
"Yes. We can manage the control tower and the aircraft maintenance hangars, but the airfield itself is impossible. We need a specialized construction firm."
Taesik pondered the matter, as both the Dae-a Group and the Misung Group owned construction subsidiaries, and eventually, he called Miso.
"Miso, do you happen to hold any shares in Misung Construction?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I'm thinking of giving you a gift."
"A gift?"
"Starlink Aviation is exporting T-50 aircraft to Iraq, and we’ve decided to include the construction of the airport in the contract. As you know, Starlink doesn't have a construction division. I’m thinking of giving the construction volume for the Iraq air force base to Misung Construction. What do you think?"
"Oh my! That’s an unexpected gift. But a gift given directly to me would be better than one given to the Misung Group..."
"..."
Taesik was taken aback by Miso’s bold remark, and Miso laughed. "Thank you. My father will be very pleased."
After receiving the contact information for the CEO of Misung Construction from Miso, Taesik passed it on to President Jo Yoon-je, who expressed his relief and happiness at finally being free from the lobbying.
Recently, Department Head Park Kyung-hoon had been busy securing teams, facilities, and personnel to launch Starlink Security, and he finally brought news to Taesik that the preparations were complete.
"CEO, we have finally secured the necessary personnel and the building."
"That took less time than I thought. Where did you decide to set up the headquarters?"
"We decided to use the same building as Deepmind. Fortunately, there was a vacancy in the building where Deepmind is located, so we plan to move in this week."
"The headquarters will be here, and the regional offices will be in Gumi and Sacheon, then?"
"Yes. Thanks to the cooperation of President Park and President Jo, we didn't have to rent separate buildings; we decided to use the empty office spaces in Defense and Aviation."
"That’s a relief. What about the personnel?"
"For security, we focused on discharged soldiers, and for intelligence, we focused on the NIS and military intelligence units. Fortunately, thanks to President Cha Young-jin’s cooperation, we were able to build the system, but we are still short on manpower. We plan to continue securing personnel, focusing on discharged friends and retirees."
"Starlink is a company that deals with defense and cutting-edge technology, so security is paramount. You must strengthen security to ensure that technical data is not leaked from any of the companies."
"Understood. We will immediately apply the established security measures, including system isolation."
President Park Kyung-hoon reported on security measures, starting with the complete isolation of Starlink’s internal network from the internet, and ensuring that items like CDs and USBs could not be brought in or out of the company without approval. He also mandated the installation of apps on employees' personal phones that disable cameras and recording functions upon arrival at work, and for those who had not yet purchased smartphones, he implemented the use of security stickers.
"CEO, we secured a list of employees whose salaries are being garnished through cooperation with each affiliate, and the number is quite high."
"Is that so? Starlink’s salaries are at the level of major conglomerates..."
"It doesn't seem to be a salary issue, but rather a personal one. We will begin close surveillance on those whose salaries are being garnished as requested by the court."
"Please stay within the bounds of the law and focus on data being leaked externally."
"Understood. And from now on, I would like you to use a company email for your personal correspondence as well. To monitor attachments, we need to use the company email, and I think it would be best if you set the example."
"Of course, I should cooperate. Do I just need to apply for it?"
"You can use the same email address you currently use, just by changing the domain. You just need to add 'starlink.com' at the end."
"I’ll need to get new business cards printed."
"The application for new business cards is already finished, and Miso will bring them to you in a few hours."
Taesik was impressed by President Park Kyung-hoon’s preparedness. Shortly after the report, he received a call on his personal phone from an unknown number.
"Yes, that’s correct. Who is this?"
"This is Executive Director Lee Yong-jae of Misung Electronics. I am Lee Miso’s older brother."
Taesik was surprised to receive a call from Executive Director Lee Yong-jae of Misung Electronics.
"Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you."
"Hahaha. I apologize for greeting you over the phone. I’m calling to express my gratitude for giving the Iraq airport construction contract to Misung Construction."
"No, there are many things linked with the Misung Group, so I provided the volume as a matter of mutual assistance... There is no need for thanks."
"Hahaha. You are quite magnanimous for your age. Let’s have a meal together when the opportunity arises. Our Miso is also indebted to you there, so I must return the favor."
"Please contact me anytime. I will keep my schedule open."
Taesik, having received the sudden call from Executive Director Lee Yong-jae, informed Miso of the fact. Miso looked flustered and asked if there had been any talk regarding her personally.
"Did my brother say anything related to me?"
"No. It was just a thank you for the construction contract. He didn't say anything else. Why?"
"Then that’s a relief."
Taesik questioned Miso’s attitude but focused on his work. Finally, hearing that the low-cost drone developed by Starlink, the Valkyrie, was ready, he visited Sacheon.
President Jo Yoon-je was waiting for Taesik at the entrance of the headquarters, and Taesik scolded him as he stepped out of the car.
"I told you there was no need to come out when I visit..."
"Hahaha. I came out so I could take you straight to the runway as soon as you arrived. The Valkyrie is being prepared at the runway apron. Let’s go and see it."
Taesik was filled with admiration as he saw the Valkyrie, which he had only seen in reports, having completed its ground performance checks and mounted on the ground launcher.
"The shape turned out better than I thought."
"At 8.8 meters long, it’s about 5 meters smaller than the T-50, but because we applied a stealth design, you’ll get the impression that it’s quite sleek the first time you see it."
"You really built just the airframe for cost reduction."
"Yes. Since it’s a drone, there is no payload other than the engine, flight control system, and data link device required for flight. If necessary, it can be equipped with four missiles in the internal weapons bay."
"It launches from a dedicated launcher, but how do you recover it?"
"Since there is no landing gear, recovery is possible through two methods: a net or a parachute. The principle is to self-destruct without recovery, but since that is an impossible method in South Korea, we inevitably applied a recovery system."
"Since the defense budget is insufficient, you can't just use it once and throw it away, even if it is a drone. Recovering the Valkyrie with a net or parachute will likely result in damage to the airframe."
"Yes. So, we designed it in a modular fashion so that if damage occurs during recovery, it can be replaced module by module."
"With a range of 4,000 km and Mach 0.85, it’s a decent drone. It will be helpful for the Air Force, as friendly aircraft can carry out attacks using the Valkyrie without entering enemy territory."
"The Air Force likes it, but they keep demanding that we lower the unit price, saying that the 4 billion won price tag for the drone is too expensive. I’m worried because there’s no way to lower it any further."
"Hmm... what parts are mainly damaged during recovery?"
"The wings and the fuselage are mainly damaged. I plan to teach the Air Force how to repair composite materials so they can perform their own repairs, but the Air Force wants to lower the price as much as possible to secure a large quantity at once."
"How about manufacturing composite materials with a 3D printer?"
"Ah! You must be talking about the manufacturing method that advanced companies are researching these days. It’s possible to create the shape of the parts, but there is a problem with the reliability of the manufactured parts. We need to ensure the reliability that it can withstand the load applied to the structure, but it hasn't reached that level yet."
"It can't be helped. Let’s think about ways to lower the cost through mass production. And it’s the first flight today, where are the outside guests?"
"They are currently holding a meeting for the first flight approval. It’s almost time for it to end, so they will be coming out to the runway soon."
While Taesik watched the Valkyrie on the launcher, government officials came out to the runway, and among them was Lieutenant General Choi Young-gyu, who had moved from the Ministry of National Defense to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.
"CEO Kim! It’s been a while."
"Lieutenant General Choi Young-gyu, you’ve come in person. Have you been well?"
"Of course. I heard that Starlink Aviation had a hard time because of the Board of Audit and Inspection recently, but I’m glad things worked out well."
"Are you managing the Valkyrie project yourself, Lieutenant General Choi?"
"Yes. It’s classified as a secret project, so I’m handling it directly. The higher-ups also have high expectations for the Valkyrie. I received orders to manage the project directly because it’s a drone that can attack without pilots entering North Korean airspace."
"Isn't it time for the military to prepare for artificial satellites as well?"
Since there were two main ways for the Valkyrie to identify and attack enemies—attacking aerial and ground targets identified by pilots via radar, or attacking targets identified by aerial controllers and satellites—Taesik asked about the plan for satellites.
"It’s insufficient, but an airborne early warning and control aircraft is scheduled to be deployed this year, and the budget for satellites has been included in the mid-term defense plan. I expect we can start as soon as we get approval from the Ministry of Economy and Finance."
"How many are you preparing?"
"We plan to gradually increase the quantity after putting one into orbit first."
"You need to launch military satellites quickly so that the medium-altitude drones and the Valkyrie can play their proper roles."
"We can't do everything at once with South Korea’s defense budget, so I’m frustrated as well. The medium-altitude drones supplied by Starlink also have their operational radius limited to the Korean Peninsula, so they can’t support soldiers deployed overseas. Once the budget for satellites is approved next year, we’ll have some breathing room."
While the two were talking, Starlink Aviation staff announced that the Valkyrie was ready for launch, and the two moved to a safe zone with the other attendees. Starlink Aviation staff turned the Valkyrie launcher toward the sea, and once the staff retreated to the safe zone, the controller began checking the equipment.
"We will now begin the first flight of the Valkyrie. Ground controllers, please conduct a safety check around the Valkyrie."
As the controller signaled the start, a staff member in charge of the ground came out to check the safety elements around the Valkyrie, and on the runway across, a TA-50 tactical lead-in fighter owned by Starlink Aviation rose into the sky. Having received the report that there were no abnormalities in the safety check, the controller immediately began the countdown.