Will Large Transport Aircraft Be Developed Domestically?

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] As the South Korean government has decided to jointly develop a multipurpose transport aircraft with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it is expected that the development of a domestically produced large transport aircraft will also accelerate.

On the 16th, according to Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), KAI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the "International Joint Development of a Multipurpose Transport Aircraft" as part of strengthening mid- to long-term cooperation between the two countries.

Model of the Korean multipurpose transport aircraft unveiled by Korea Aerospace Industries at DX Korea 2022. Provided by Korea Aerospace Industries

The Republic of Korea Air Force is in a situation where additional transport aircraft are needed. The Air Force currently operates 16 C-130H/J transport aircraft and 20 CN-235 transport aircraft. It also plans to acquire three additional large transport aircraft (second phase of the large transport aircraft project) at a cost of 710 billion won. However, as the service life of the C-130J transport aircraft introduced before 2014 is nearing its end, about 20 transport aircraft need to be replaced.

KAI Unveils Next-Generation Transport Aircraft MC-X... Flies at Mach Speed Using Turbofan Engine

Domestic transport aircraft development is expected to be undertaken by KAI. Last year, KAI unveiled a model of the large transport aircraft MC-X at a domestic defense exhibition. The MC-X uses a turbofan engine instead of a propeller, with a maximum speed of Mach 0.75 (approximately 850 km/h), a maximum range of 5,000 km, and a transport capacity of about 30 tons. It can accommodate around 120 regular infantry soldiers or about 80 special forces personnel.

According to the plan for developing a domestically produced large transport aircraft, after conducting two years of preliminary research and completing 7 to 9 years of system development, mass production could begin around 2035.

An industry official said, "It can be considered for development not only as a simple military personnel transport but also as various special-purpose aircraft such as anti-submarine patrol aircraft, aerial refueling aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, and electronic warfare aircraft."

Meanwhile, the UAE is already operating Hanwha Aerospace’s multiple launch rocket system "Cheonmu." In January last year, it contracted for the domestically produced ballistic missile interception system "Cheongung-II," known as the Korean Patriot. The contract was worth 3.5 billion dollars (approximately 4 trillion won). At that time, LIG Nex1, Hanwha Systems, Hanwha Defense, and UAE’s TTI each signed contracts. Since then, the Republic of Korea Air Force also participated for the first time in a multinational air defense and missile defense exercise held in the UAE.