Government and Industry to Launch Independent Future Aircraft Prototype by 2030

Development of Hybrid Platform Combining Battery and Engine

Private Sector to Lead Purely Electric Aircraft Initiatives

Korea Aerospace Administration and Aviation Industry to Accelerate Creation of Future Aircraft Ecosystem

The government plans to develop a prototype hybrid future aircraft that uses both batteries and engines by 2030, aiming to secure an independent domestic platform for next-generation aircraft. Under this strategy, the government will take charge of developing the core platform, while the private sector will focus on developing purely electric-based future aircraft. This division of roles is intended to strengthen the competitiveness of the next-generation aviation industry.

On July 10, the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) announced that it had held the 8th Aerospace SOS (Speedy On-site Solution) meeting at its headquarters with 20 domestic aircraft system, engine, materials, and parts companies to share strategies for the development of hybrid future aircraft.

The Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) held the 8th Aerospace SOS (Speedy On-site Solution) Meeting on the 10th at its headquarters with 20 domestic aircraft system, engine, material, and component companies to share strategies for developing hybrid future aircraft. Photo by KASA

This meeting was a follow-up to the "Korea Aerospace Industry Development Strategy" announced by the National Space Committee on July 3. Major companies in attendance included Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Korean Air, Hyundai Motor Company, Doosan Enerbility, Hanwha Systems, Hyundai WIA, Samsung SDI, and POSCO Holdings.

KASA plans to conduct the first flight of the basic prototype hybrid future aircraft by the end of 2030 with government investment. The strategy is to develop the hybrid future aircraft as a national core platform, ensuring scalability for various missions in both public and commercial sectors. In contrast, the development of purely battery-powered future aircraft will be led by the private sector as part of the division of roles.

The participating companies suggested that, to foster the domestic future aircraft industry ecosystem, the government should secure new technologies through government-led system development projects and expand participation from domestic materials and parts companies. They also proposed the establishment of testing and demonstration infrastructure, the creation of initial public demand, and institutional support for domestic materials and parts companies.

Tae seog Oh, Administrator of KASA, stated, "Securing an independent, government-led future aircraft platform is essential for the groundbreaking growth of the private aviation industry. We will actively incorporate on-site feedback from companies so that government investment leads to industrialization, and we will support global market entry by securing demand in various fields such as public, firefighting, and medical sectors."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.