Hanwha Aero Goes All-In on Aircraft Engine Localization...Public-Private-Academic Cooperation Platform Launched

Building a Joint R&D System with 39 Partner Companies
Parallel Global Supply Chain Strategy for Overseas Market Entry

Hanwha Aerospace has begun in earnest to build a win-win ecosystem aimed at localizing core materials and parts for aircraft engines.

Participants pose for a commemorative photo at the "Agreement Ceremony for Self-reliance and Win-win Cooperation in Aircraft Engine Materials and Parts," held in the main auditorium of Building 1 at Hanwha Aerospace in Changwon Special City, Gyeongsangnam-do, on the 24th. Photo provided by Hanwha Aerospace.

On the 24th, Hanwha Aerospace held the "Agreement Signing Ceremony for Self-Reliance and Mutual Cooperation in Aircraft Engine Materials and Parts" at its Changwon Plant 1 in Changwon Special City, Gyeongsangnam-do, and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with related institutions and partner companies.

This agreement was jointly signed by 39 partner companies, including Korea Carbon, KPCM, KLW (Korea Lost Wax), and Tesco, as well as the Korea Testing Laboratory, the Korea Testing & Research Institute, and the Korea University of Technology and Education. In addition, representatives from the Korea Institute of Materials Science, the Air Force Aviation Resource Management Wing, the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), and Gyeongsang National University attended, strengthening the foundation for cooperation among the public sector, private sector, and academia.

To systematically promote self-reliance in aircraft engine parts and materials, Hanwha Aerospace plans to form a consortium and carry out joint research and development (R&D) covering the entire process from development to testing, evaluation, and certification. In addition, it will establish and implement a global supply chain strategy to support its partners' entry into overseas markets. Going forward, the company intends to expand win-win cooperation to all areas of aircraft engine development, including design and machining.

Hanwha Aerospace has long worked with its partners in the aircraft engine sector to advance core technologies. In cooperation with domestic precision casting specialists such as Korea Lost Wax, Sungil Turbine, and Cheonji Industry, it has developed and mass-produced turbine blades and high-temperature components using second- and third-generation single-crystal materials over the past 20-plus years, and has obtained international certifications including NADCAP and KOLAS.

Through its joint venture Thermatech Korea, it is also supplying coating materials to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). SeAH Changwon Integrated Special Steel, a specialty steel company, has worked with Hanwha Aerospace to develop Waspaloy, a material for Pratt & Whitney's GTF engines, meeting quality requirements and preparing to enter the global supply chain.

In October last year, Hanwha Aerospace established the "Hanwha Materials Joint Research Center" within the Korea Institute of Materials Science to drive the development of core materials for aircraft engines, thereby strengthening the foundation for technological self-reliance.

Cho Moonsoo, Chairman of Korea Carbon, said, "At a time when securing export competitiveness is more important than ever, I hope that the newly launched consortium will lead to enhanced capabilities for partner companies and tangible export results."

Son Jaeil, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace, said, "Without shared growth with our partners, we cannot achieve localization of aircraft engines," adding, "Through win-win cooperation, we will secure technological sovereignty in the aircraft engine sector."