This undated file photo provided by Hanwha Aerospace Co. shows an aircraft engine license manufactured by the company. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has created an interministerial task force to spearhead the development of an advanced aircraft engine for its next-generation fighter jets, an effort aimed at joining the small group of nations capable of producing such high-end defense technology, government officials said on Friday.
The new body brings together the ministries of industry, land and defense, along with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Korea AeroSpace Administration. Its mandate is to coordinate a national strategy for developing the core power plant that ultimately determines the performance of future fighter aircraft.
The initiative stems from a plan drafted by DAPA in January to domestically produce what is considered one of the most challenging technologies in modern weapons systems. Only five countries — including the United States, France and Russia — currently manufacture their own advanced fighter engines, a feat that requires decades of sustained investment and deep engineering expertise.
Officials said that success would allow South Korea to sharply reduce the maintenance and repair costs it now pays to foreign suppliers, while also opening the door to a new category of defense exports.
“Drawing on the ministry’s experience in developing core materials and components, we will work to achieve technological self-reliance in advanced aircraft engines and secure a stable supply chain,” an official at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said.
A DAPA official added that aircraft-engine technology is “a strategic asset with implications not only for national defense but also for the civilian aerospace sector,” pledging close coordination across government agencies as the project moves forward.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
