Hanwha Aerospace and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) will jointly develop aircraft such as unmanned aerial vehicles and those equipped with domestically produced engines.
Hanwha Aerospace and KAI said on the 6th that they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) titled "MOU for joint cooperation on future core businesses to strengthen K-defense's global competitiveness" on the 5th at the Hanwha Building in Jung-gu, Seoul. The MOU includes joint development and export of unmanned aerial vehicles, development of aircraft equipped with domestically produced engines, entry into the global commercial space market, and fostering of the defense and aerospace ecosystem and regional supply chains.
In particular, KAI is the country's only complete aircraft developer and manufacturer, while Hanwha Aerospace is the leading domestic aircraft engine company. They also have a track record of developing unmanned aerial vehicle airframes and onboard engines, respectively, together with the Agency for Defense Development (ADD). Hanwha Aerospace and KAI plan to enhance competitiveness by developing engines optimized for domestically produced aircraft platforms.
As concrete forms of cooperation, Hanwha Aerospace said advanced aircraft engine development and system integration for follow-on mass-production models of the KF-21 fighter jet, as well as entry into the global unmanned aerial vehicle market, are possible. Going further, they plan to break from past practices of exclusive supplier sharing and will share each company's partner supply chains and run joint research and development (R&D) and technical support programs.
They will also regularly operate a "future aerospace strategy committee" with participation by key executives to build a mid- to long-term cooperation system. Based on this, they aim to move away from unnecessary competition, create a mutually "win-win" cooperative framework, and strengthen the foundation for future growth of the aviation, space, and defense industry cluster.
KAI CEO Cha Jae-byeong said, "In an international environment where export competition is intensifying day by day, this strategic cooperation will elevate the competitiveness of the domestic defense and aerospace sector," adding, "We will jointly develop future core businesses such as unmanned aerial vehicles, engines, and space to further expand K-defense's export territory."
Hanwha Aerospace CEO Son Jae-il said, "This MOU aims to propose a new model for exports and shared growth based on ecosystem innovation across the defense and aerospace sectors," adding, "We will work with KAI to gradually expand a growth and cooperation model of mutual coexistence."