Korean Air announced on the 16th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Doosan Enerbility to collaborate on developing aviation engine technology and unmanned aerial systems.
The signing ceremony held at Doosan Enerbility's headquarters in Changwon was attended by Kim Kyung-nam, head of the Korean Air Aircraft Technology Research Institute, and Ko Min-seok, head of GT development at Doosan Enerbility.
Korean Air will be responsible for the development of aircraft systems, while Doosan Enerbility will take on the development of aviation engines. The two companies plan to focus on cooperative development of engines ranging from 5,000 to 15,000 pounds force (lbf) for medium-to-large unmanned aerial systems, such as low-observable fighters and multipurpose stealth drones, as well as 100 to 1,000 lbf engines for small unmanned aerial systems like collaborative combat aircraft (CCA).
Korean Air stated that it plans to achieve domestic development of advanced aviation engines and establish a competitive unmanned aerial system through this agreement. With countries such as the United States strictly limiting the export of technology possessed by engine manufacturing nations, the importance of early domestic production of aviation engines is increasing.
Kim Kyung-nam, head of the Korean Air Aircraft Technology Research Institute, noted, "The market for gas turbine engines for aircraft has long been monopolized by only a few advanced countries, and domestic production of engines is essential to strengthen the international competitiveness of domestic aircraft. We will continue to maintain close cooperation with domestic engine development companies, including Doosan Enerbility."