The Korean urban air mobility (K-UAM), referred to as the next-generation future aviation mobility, is officially entering the demonstration phase to verify its operational feasibility in actual urban environments. On the 22nd, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced the commencement of the “K-UAM Grand Challenge” phase 2 project—urban demonstration—taking place around the Incheon Ara Waterway. While the first phase conducted in the open areas of Goheung, Jeollanam-do aimed to verify the basic performance of UAM, the second phase poses a totally different level of challenge. The core objective is to verify whether various systems operate stably while safely flying alongside existing air traffic to and from nearby airports.
The demonstration will involve participation from the ‘K-UAM One Team’ (comprising Korean Air, Incheon International Airport Corporation, Hyundai Motor Company, KT, and Hyundai Construction) and the ‘K-UAM Dream Team’ (composed of Korea Airports Corporation and Hanwha Systems). Having been designated as demonstration project operators according to the Urban Air Mobility Act for the first time, they will reveal the technology they have been preparing for a comprehensive evaluation.
Key infrastructures for UAM operations, including the ‘traffic management system’ to prevent air collisions and manage traffic flow, the ‘vertiport operation system’ responsible for ground movement and safety at UAM terminals, and the ‘5G air communication network’ that connects the entire process organically, will be intensively checked to see if they work flawlessly in a real urban environment.
To ensure system stability at the highest level, the consortiums plan to concurrently conduct simulations assuming abnormal situations like communication disruptions.
Kim Hong-mok, Director-General of Mobility & Automotive Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, emphasized, “This urban demonstration is the most important and practical first step to open the era of futuristic flying vehicles that the public has imagined,” adding, “While they may look like helicopters, a history of the core operational systems that compose Korea’s UAM ecosystem is being written inside.”
Based on the results of this demonstration, the Ministry plans to refine specific operational standards and institutional foundations and link them to future demonstrations utilizing actual UAM vehicles.