Doosan Enerbility has embarked on a technological collaboration with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) for the development of aircraft engines.
On the 17th, Doosan Enerbility announced that it signed a “Strategic Partnership Agreement for the Development of Aircraft Engines” with KAI. The signing ceremony, held at Doosan Enerbility’s headquarters, was attended by KAI President Kang Gu-young, Doosan Enerbility Vice Chairman Jeong Yeon-in, and Son Seung-woo, head of the Power Service Business Group.
Through this agreement, both companies plan to cooperate on developing engines for UAVs and manned aircraft in line with the government’s long-term aircraft engine plan. The collaboration involves developing a 15,000lbf-class engine for manned and unmanned aircraft, a 10,000lbf-class engine for UAVs, and a 100-500lbf-class small engine for multipurpose UAVs. Doosan Enerbility will handle the development of the aircraft engines, while KAI will be responsible for aircraft system development.
According to the long-term aircraft engine plan, the government aims to achieve localization of aircraft engines by securing 10,000lbf-class UAV engines and 15,000lbf-class aircraft engine technology by the early 2030s. Aircraft engines are core devices that determine the performance of an aircraft, with only a few countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Russia possessing self-developed aircraft engine technologies.
KAI President Kang Gu-young stated, “The strategic cooperation between leading domestic companies in the aircraft and gas turbine sectors will create significant synergy in developing domestic aircraft engines.” He added, “We aim to improve the competitiveness of K-defense exports by progressively succeeding in the localization of aircraft engines.”
Doosan Enerbility Vice Chairman Jeong Yeon-in remarked, “Doosan Enerbility is leveraging its accumulated technology and know-how from the development of power-generating gas turbines to actively engage in aircraft engine development.” He continued, “Through this collaboration, we aim to advance our technological capabilities, contributing not only to the localization of aircraft engines but also to expanding the global market presence of domestic aircraft.”
Doosan Enerbility is participating in a 10,000lbf-class UAV engine development project overseen by the Agency for Defense Development, handling tasks such as “engine layout design and component analysis” and “turbine vane/blade casting and post-processing.” Power-generating gas turbines and aircraft engines share a similar technological foundation, structure, and operating principles. However, power-generating gas turbines demand high efficiency and safety, while aircraft engines require high output and lightweight construction.