Hanwha unveils advanced aircraft engine prototype

[Courtesy of Hanwha Group]

Hanwha Group announced on Monday that it will participate in the Farnborough Airshow, which will take place near London from July 22nd, 2024, to 26th, where it will unveil its self-developed advanced aircraft engine prototype for the first time.

According to the South Korean conglomerate, Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha Systems have prepared a 200-square-meter integrated exhibition hall at the Farnborough Airshow, one of the world’s top three airshows. The exhibition hall is divided into an “Air Zone,” showcasing the company’s aviation capabilities, and a “Space Zone,” introducing comprehensive space solutions.

In the Air Zone, Hanwha Aerospace will debut an advanced aircraft engine prototype that it is developing in collaboration with the Korean government. This engine, which targets a thrust of over 15,000 pounds-force (lbf), is being designed for use in the Korean supersonic fighter jet KF-21 and unmanned combat aircraft.

The Air Zone will also feature Hanwha Systems’ Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which was successfully developed in Korea and secured an export contract with global defense company Leonardo in May 2024. Hanwha will introduce various AESA radars tailored for light attack aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and small aircraft, aiming to penetrate the global market.

The Air Zone will also display advanced avionic equipment essential for aircraft survival, eco-friendly aircraft components such as Energy Storage Systems (ESS), hydrogen fuel cells, and electromechanical actuators (EMAs).

In the Space Zone, Hanwha Systems will showcase high-resolution images captured by its domestically developed small Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite. These images include views of Mokpo Port in Korea, Central Park in New York, and Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, highlighting the company’s satellite observation capabilities.

Moreover, Hanwha will demonstrate its “hyper-connected defense solution,” which uses the OneWeb satellite, in which Hanwha invested in 2021, to share and respond to battlefield information in real-time.

The Space Zone will also feature a model of the Nuri rocket, Korea’s indigenous launch vehicle, for which Hanwha Aerospace is the system integrator. Hanwha emphasizes the rocket’s successful launches in 2022 and 2023, which have validated its performance, as it seeks to attract satellite customers.