Government to Commercialize Sword Drone Capable of Carrying 200kg by 2030 (Comprehensive)

Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Announces 3rd Basic Plan for Aviation Industry Development (2021~2030) and Core Technology Roadmap

This Year, 5.7 Billion KRW Invested in 'Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Based Cargo Drone' Technology Development
Core Component Technology Development for Urban Air Mobility Also Promoted

Sung Yun-mo, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy. (File photo)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The government is officially launching the development of cargo drone technology using hydrogen fuel cells capable of carrying 200 kg of cargo. The goal is to commercialize it for everyday use by 2030. Additionally, the development of core component technology for Urban Air Mobility (UAM), commonly known as 'flying cars,' will also be pursued.

On the 5th, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held a meeting with the aviation manufacturing industry at LIG Nex1 Daejeon House, chaired by Minister Sung Yun-mo, and announced the '3rd Basic Aviation Industry Development Plan (2021?2030)' containing these details. The Basic Aviation Industry Development Plan is a statutory plan that presents support directions and policy tasks to efficiently and systematically operate aviation industry development policies over the next 10 years.

Through the basic plan, the government also presented a 'Roadmap of 100 Core Technologies' to proactively respond to future aviation industry technology demands such as high efficiency, smartization, and eco-friendliness. To respond to the trend of eco-friendliness, the government will promote the development of aviation technologies including electric propulsion, high efficiency, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, new materials, and smart factories. This year, 5.7 billion KRW will be invested in hydrogen fuel cell-based cargo drone technology development, with a total of 115.3 billion KRW allocated and supported across 22 projects.

The government also plans to develop core element technologies for key systems and system development of future flying vehicles (UAM·AAM), a new concept of transportation. UAM refers to flying vehicles that can carry 4 to 5 passengers within urban areas and is expected to expand to Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) for inter-city travel in the future. Morgan Stanley predicts the related market size will reach approximately 1.5 trillion USD by 2040. In response, the government will focus investment on developing core components for UAM and AAM, such as high-strength airframe structures, high power and high efficiency, and small, lightweight, low-power propulsion systems, while fostering the related industry through industry-academia-linked master's and doctoral training programs.

The announced basic plan also includes measures to strengthen support infrastructure to overcome industrial crises. It will continue financial support for small and medium-sized aviation companies through the Industrial Stability Fund and the Aviation Industry Win-Win Cooperation Guarantee System to overcome the COVID-19 crisis and maintain the aviation industry ecosystem. Additionally, it will build infrastructure to expand aviation industry exports by supporting quality certification and joint raw material management, as well as enhancing engineering capabilities.

The government plans to invest a total of 1.9387 trillion KRW in developing core aviation parts technologies by 2030. The goal is to raise the technology level compared to advanced aviation countries from about 70% in 2019 to 80% by 2035.

Minister Sung said, "The recent global aviation market is opening a new arena of challenges and opportunities, including UAM, eco-friendly flying vehicles, AI, and various aviation electronic software," adding, "The government will do its best to provide policy support to strengthen the future competitiveness of the aviation industry."