Airport Operation Company Achieves World's First Domestic Production Success
Becomes Second Major Manufacturer Following French Thales
Targets Overseas Markets Including India
TACAN configuration diagram for naval vessels developed by Korea Airports Corporation. Provided by Korea Airports Corporation
Korea Airports Corporation has become the world's first airport operating company to independently develop the Tactical Air Navigation System (TACAN), known as the "lighthouse of the sky," successfully achieving localization and commercialization. By securing both fixed and shipborne types, it has risen to become the world's second-largest TACAN manufacturer. Based on this, the corporation plans to actively target overseas markets.
On the 12th, Korea Airports Corporation held a press conference at its headquarters in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, announcing this achievement. The shipborne TACAN is a key device that provides bearing and distance information to military aircraft returning to ships during maritime operations. The corporation, building on the technology of the fixed TACAN developed in-house in 2026, conducted three years of research and development and succeeded this year in localizing and commercializing the shipborne TACAN. It obtained international certification for 13 types and 23 items under the latest U.S. Department of Defense technical standards, verifying its reliability, and passed the government's performance conformity inspection, completing domestic and international certification evaluations.
With this, the corporation has become the world's second-largest shipborne TACAN manufacturer following France's Thales. Currently, it is participating in the bidding process to supply shipborne TACANs to the Republic of Korea Navy. It is also aiming to secure the entire order (approximately 30 units worth about 30 billion KRW) scheduled to be issued by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration by 2028. Furthermore, it plans to enter the global shipborne TACAN market, valued at approximately 1.7 trillion KRW.
The strength of domestic TACAN lies in its cost-effectiveness, being able to supply at about 70% of the price of Thales products despite similar technical capabilities. Seongbin Lim, head of the Navigation Equipment Business Center at Korea Airports Corporation, explained, "During the COVID-19 pandemic, Thales acquired and merged with other companies, creating a monopoly structure, which led to slow software updates and difficult maintenance, causing customer inconvenience. Our products have improved convenience, standby power consumption, and speed according to the latest trends, and with lower prices, we believe we can sufficiently target the global market."
The achievements of the fixed TACAN, which laid the foundation for the shipborne TACAN, are also emerging one after another. First, this year, the corporation plans to complete the delivery and commissioning of fixed TACANs equipped with the latest technology at the Sacheon and Gangneung Air Force bases in Korea. The modernization project, which exported 33 TACAN units to the Indian Air Force and Navy in 2021?the largest ever?has also been completed, achieving sales of approximately 23 billion KRW. By localizing both fixed and shipborne TACANs, the corporation has been evaluated as having solved issues related to reliance on foreign products, such as rapid defect repair and equipment procurement.
Fixed TACAN installed at Anyang Beacon Station of Korea Airports Corporation. Provided by Korea Airports Corporation
The corporation also emphasized that the installation business for navigation safety equipment is progressing smoothly. Last month, it succeeded in winning three consecutive contracts, beating France's Thales and Spain's Indra, to install navigation equipment such as Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) at Jomin, Andijan, and Kokand airports, ordered by Uzbekistan's Navigation Facilities Corporation. By confirming exports to three civilian airports and one military airport out of 13 civilian airports in Uzbekistan, the corporation plans to expand the Central Asian navigation equipment export market with Uzbekistan as a base. It has also agreed to export related technology to the newly constructed Nusantara VVIP airport in Indonesia's new capital city.
So far, the corporation has exported a total of 274 units of TACAN, DME, and other equipment to 28 countries including Peru, Fiji, and Indonesia, generating approximately 53.2 billion KRW in revenue. In T?rkiye, the corporation's ILS is installed and operated at 24 airports, capturing a market share of 40%.
Lee Jung-gi, acting president of Korea Airports Corporation, stated, "As the only company in the world that directly develops navigation equipment as an airport operator, the corporation is elevating the status of Korea's defense industry in the global defense market. We will continue to strengthen our research and development (R&D) capabilities going forward."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
