Hanwha Aerospace will establish the Hanwha Materials Joint Research Center with the Korea institute of Materials Science (KIMS) and launch full-fledged efforts to localize core aerospace engine materials that have had high reliance on overseas sources. The plan is to secure original technologies for materials for aircraft engines and engines for manned and unmanned aircraft in advance.
About 100 industry-academia-research officials in the aircraft engine sector attended the opening ceremony held on the 22nd at the KIMS headquarters in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, including Yoon Sam-son, Hanwha Aerospace aerospace division chief technology officer (CTO), and Choi Cheol-jin, KIMS president.
Hanwha Aerospace and KIMS plan to apply advanced technologies—such as casting/forging of nickel and titanium alloys, which are core aircraft engine materials with high overseas dependence, and thermal barrier coating processes—to engines for manned and unmanned advanced aircraft, including cutting-edge aircraft engines. To that end, they will jointly use KIMS' advanced testing infrastructure, including ultra-high-temperature environment tests essential for developing aircraft engine materials.
Through the launch of this research center, Hanwha Aerospace plans to build an integrated materials R&D platform that connects research and development, testing and evaluation, and mass production, accelerating the securing of national-level sovereignty in aircraft engine materials technology.
A Hanwha Aerospace official said, "Based on Hanwha's comprehensive capabilities in materials, design, and processes for aircraft engine systems, we will, through industry-academia-research cooperation, contribute to securing the capability to develop indigenous aircraft engines in Korea, including the development of advanced aircraft engines."
Meanwhile, Hanwha Aerospace signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea institute of Materials Science (KIMS) in Oct. last year for research and development of aircraft engine materials and an agreement for transfer of ultra-heat-resistant alloy material technology. In Feb. this year, they also held a technology exchange meeting, continuing cooperation for the development of aircraft engine materials.