Lee Bong-keun, vice president & general manager with KAI’s International Business Division. (Photos: KAI)

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is participating in the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition 2021 (Seoul ADEX 2021), taking place at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, from Oct. 19 to Oct. 23.

KAI will show the future direction of convergence technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution, on top of its mainstay businesses: fixed wing, rotary wing, satellite and launch vehicle.

The following are excerpts of an interview with Lee Bong-keun, vice president & general manager with KAI’s International Business Division.

Question: What are the key areas that KAI is currently focusing on? What is the company showcasing at Seoul ADEX 2021 this year?

Answer: The theme of KAI’s exhibition at Seoul ADEX 2021 is the convergence of its core business and the technology of the Fourth Industry.

KAI has focused on the present up until now, but at this show, the company will show the future direction of the aerospace industry.

The exhibition hall is largely composed of 4 zones: Future vision of KAI; fixed wing; rotary wing; and future business.

In the Future Vision zone, KAI will introduce its capability as Korea’s sole and only system integration company via the cluster demonstration of the products.

The large-scale LED screen is to display virtual flight demonstrations of the KF-21, slated for maiden flight in 2022 as well as the UAM images of KAI, the first of its kind at Seoul ADEX 2021.

A bird’s eye-view of the venue of Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition 2021 (Seoul ADEX 2021) taking place at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, from Oct. 19 to Oct. 23.

KAI is currently under R&D on UAM based on the development of various kinds of airplanes, including fixed wings and rotary wings.

At Seoul ADEX 2021, KAI plans to show the two versions of the UAM for manned aircraft transport UAM and the UAM for unmanned cargo aircraft.

In the Fixed Wing zone, airplanes such as the KF-21 Boramae, the light attack aircraft, FA-50 whose performance is under improvement, and the NBT (Next Basic Trainer) are displayed. What is notable is that the NBT, which is to be debuted for the first time at Seoul ADEX 2021, reinforced the trust and convenience of pilot training reflecting demand of the Korean Air Force.

On the other hand, KAI reviews applicability of the electric propulsion system, a future aviation technology.

The Rotary Wing zone shows the real Surion landing attack helicopter applied with the MUM-T, or Man-Unmanned Teaming.

The MUM-T, a concept which is under research even in advanced countries is a future weapon system which rapidly raises survivability and operational efficiency of manned aircraft.

Visitors to the Future Business zone can view the various kinds of satellites, VTOL, or Vertical Takeoff and Landing airplane and the VR future training system.KAI is expanding the scope of its business into low-orbiting small-scale satellites, launch service satellite information, and image analysis service, beyond its core business.

The Future Training System is designed to allow for simulation flight training, war game, virtual maintenance training using AR/VR by grafting the technology of the fourth industry like metaverse to the conventional simulator concept. Hands-on experience is available at this Seoul ADEX 2021.

Q: What are the main ongoing programs that KAI has undertaken currently, and what is the impact they are expected to have on the nation’s defense capability?

A: KAI, indeed, is the key company which is responsible for development of the Korean fighter jet, KF-X system, the largest-scale in history of the country’s aviation industry.

At the launching ceremony of its first prototype in April, the KF-X, which was named as ‘KF-21 Boramae’ has been on course for its maiden flight next year.

With regard to the rotary wing sector, KAI supervises the system development of its Light Armed Helicopter. The flight test and arms test of the LAH, slated for completion of development in 2022, is progressing well.

In addition, KAI is in charge of mass-producing the Surion helicopter. The Surion, which was developed in 2012, has been the Korean Army’s main mobile copter since 2013, and boasts diverse applicability in the public copter for use in the police, coast guard, forest and firefighting services, beyond being used as a military copter in the medical evacuation and amphibious task sector.

KAI has contributed to a beefed-up Korean military via the development of the existing basic KT-1 trainer and the advanced T-50 trainer.

Further, the company will make every effort to reinforce and stabilize the defense capability of Korea by developing the higher-level aviation strength like KF-21 and LAH.

A view of the KF-21 Boramae.

Q: The T-50 Jet Trainer has had several successes in Indonesia and Thailand. What are the other countries that you see as potential buyers of the trainer?

A: In July, KAI exported 6 units of the advanced T-50 trainers and 2 units of the same model to Indonesia and Thailand, respectively.

The two countries which are operating KAI’s T-50 trainer model are satisfied with the performance and follow-up support of aircraft provided by the company.

KAI has exported 156 units of the KT-1 and T-50 trainer jets, currently the main aircraft of the company to Indonesia, the Philippines, Iraq, Thailand and Peru in the Southeast East, the Middle East and the South American regions.

Keeping the high satisfaction for the airplane models in mind, KAI sees to its further exports and stepping forward, is focusing on the marketing activity targeting the customer states all over the world.

Presently, since KAI is in the course of improving performances such as the enhancement of duration ability and arms enlargement of the FA-50 trainer to meet the requirements of a variety of customers, the export market is expected to grow.

KAI’s short-term export plan envisions breaking through the mark of 100 T-50 trainer units, and its variant, and ultimately achieving more than 500 units by 2030.

Also, KAI expects the Surion mobile helicopter, which has drawn a lot of attention from overseas markets, to make a foray into the export market.

Q: With South Korea announcing a sizable investment in its space programs recently, how is KAI positioned to support the future?

A: The aerospace industry in Korea has progressed around the national project research institutes so far.

However, Korea currently seeks to expand the private-led projects in sync with international trends in space industrialization.

KAI has participated in the general R&D of the Korean government’s satellites, such as manufacturing of the Korea multi-purpose satellites ranging from Arirang 1 to 7, geostationary satellites and military reconnaissance satellites for the past 30 years and consequently, has amassed core technologies of the satellite.

It would be no exaggeration to say that KAI is the company which represents the private-led space industrialization. In other words, a new space industry in Korea.

KAI takes part in the development of the next-generation medium-sized satellite 2, Korea’s first private-led project.

Also, the company which developed the first-stage propellant and oxidizer tank of the Korea launch vehicle, Nuriho, slated for launch on Oct. 21, takes charge of its assembling.

KAI plans to expand the scope of its business to low-orbiting, small-sized satellites, launch service satellite information, and image analysis service in the year to come.

The recent investment into an image analysis company in Korea is part of such efforts. From now on, KAI will keep striving to expand partnerships with expert companies and starts-ups at home and abroad to solidify the ecosystem of the Korean aerospace industry.

Q: Industry 4.0 is transforming the aircraft industry and it will surely have an impact on major industry players. How will KAI reflect changes to the industry (ex. smart factory, AI, VR, new technologies etc)?

A: In addition to the products which will be shown at Seoul ADEX 2021, KAI considers grafting the technology of the fourth industry to those products.

KAI is studying AI & big data-based future training systems and aircraft predictive analysis technology.

KAI seeks to build its own smart environment and further expand the scope to its partners in order to build the smart ecosystem in the aerospace industry as a whole.

KAI already attempted to apply the AI-based auto-operation system in its A350 Wing Rib factory more than 10 years ago. The A350 Wing Rib factory is lauded as a model success case of a smart factory in the aviation industry in Korea and beyond.

Q: What does KAI expect to achieve after Seoul ADEX 2021?

A: During the Seoul ADEX 2021 period, KAI plans to achieve technology partnership and business cooperation with many expert companies at home and abroad in order to drive the future project.

Also, the company devises to seek the ways for export expansion by meeting different overseas customers.

KAI envisions that through the future businesses of the diverse aerospace, which will be demonstrated at Seoul ADEX 2021, the company will surely give to customers at home and abroad the confidence and trust that the converging technology of the fourth industry is already in the hands of KAI, which will ultimately lead to commercialization.