Hanwha Aerospace Combines 47 Years of Engine Data with AI, Unveils Integrated Manned-Unmanned Development Strategy — BigGo Finance

Hanwha Aerospace (012450.KS) has officially formalized its “One Sky” circular development strategy, combining 47 years of accumulated technology and data in manned aircraft engines with artificial intelligence to accelerate unmanned aircraft engine development. The South Korean company’s vision is to build a virtuous cycle in which mass-production technologies secured from unmanned aircraft engines are transplanted back into next-generation manned aircraft engines, dramatically reducing development cycles and costs.

The company announced the strategy on the 27th at the “Gas Turbine Symposium 2026” held at Sonocam in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. In a special lecture, Vice President Kim Sun categorized the company’s existing business centered on high-performance manned weapons systems as “Legacy Excellence” and the emerging aviation market driven by unmanned aircraft as “New Sky,” emphasizing the necessity of technological convergence between the two domains.

The strategic rationale stems from recent conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, where low-cost drones and unmanned aircraft have demonstrated exchange-ratio tactics that neutralize expensive strategic assets. This has elevated the importance of rapidly securing large quantities of aerial combat power at reasonable costs. In future battlefield environments where high-performance fighters and missiles operate alongside relatively inexpensive drones and unmanned aircraft, engine development criteria themselves must fundamentally change, the company explained.

Hanwha Aerospace’s core competitive advantage lies in its vast repository of real-world operational data. Over the past 47 years, the company has conducted more than 10,000 engine test runs and resolved over 1,000 design and process defects while developing and mass-producing dozens of engine types. It has also built a database of approximately 35,000 entries related to aircraft engine materials.

This data is used to train the company’s proprietary AI model, “En-genius.” The objective is to proactively detect risks that may arise during engine design and testing, thereby reducing development trial-and-error. “A failed engine test can add billions of won in costs and months of development time,” said Vice President Kim. “We will leverage our accumulated technology, experience, and AI to reduce development risk and respond to the future aircraft engine market.”

The company has also secured a production system capable of integrated quality, cost, and delivery (QCD) management, built on a global supply chain and smart factories established in the United States and Vietnam. Hanwha Aerospace defines this capability as “We Know Sky.”

Localization of the engine pipeline is also becoming visible. In July, Hanwha Aerospace unveiled prototypes of a 5,500-pound-class turbofan engine for low-observable unmanned wingman aircraft and a 1,400-horsepower-class turboprop engine for medium-altitude UAVs, both developed under government leadership using South Korean indigenous technology.

The forward roadmap is even more aggressive. Beyond developing a 10,000-pound-class turbofan engine for stealth drones, the company plans to participate in the government-led “advanced aviation engine” development program targeting the successor to South Korea’s KF-21 Boramae supersonic fighter and sixth-generation fighter aircraft.

Industry observers assess that the One Sky strategy could serve as a practical solution for dispersing the high entry barriers and enormous R&D risks inherent in aircraft engine development. The phased approach—securing near-term profitability and component reliability through unmanned aircraft engine mass production before expanding into advanced high-output gas turbines—is viewed as viable.

“Forty-seven years of accumulated technology and experience is like drawing a blueprint while already knowing the answer key,” said Vice President Kim. “By fusing accumulated data with cutting-edge AI technology, we will concentrate our development capabilities so that South Korea can lead the New Sky era of the future aviation market.”