Hanwha Aerospace is launching an initiative to build an ecosystem for the localization of core aviation engine materials and components.

On the 24th, Hanwha Aerospace held the “Aviation Engine Materials and Parts Self-Reliance and Co-Prosperity Cooperation Agreement Ceremony” at its Changwon Plant 1 in Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam. Thirty-nine Hanwha Aerospace partner companies, including Hankuk Carbon, KPCM, Korea Lost Wax (KLW), and TESKO, as well as related institutions such as the Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL), the Korea Testing & Research Institute (KTR), and the Korea University of Technology and Education, jointly signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). Representatives from major institutions, including the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), the Air Force Aeronautical Resource Management Group, the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), and Gyeongsang National University, also attended the ceremony.

Under the agreement, Hanwha Aerospace will form a consortium to systematically promote the self-reliance of aviation engine parts and materials and will lead joint research and development (R&D) for activities such as development, testing, and certification. In particular, the company plans to establish and implement a global supply chain strategy to support its partners’ entry into overseas markets. It also intends to expand co-prosperity cooperation into other areas related to aviation engine development, such as design and machining.

Hanwha Aerospace has been working with partner companies in the aviation engine sector to develop 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 years. Through this, it has obtained international certifications including NADCAP and KOLAS. In addition, together with its joint venture Thermatech Korea, it supplies coating materials to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Special steel manufacturer Seah Changwon Integrated Special Steel, in collaboration with Hanwha Aerospace, has developed Waspaloy material for Pratt & Whitney’s (P&W) GTF engines, satisfied the relevant quality requirements, and is on the verge of entering the global supply chain. In October last year, the company also established and has been operating the “Hanwha Materials Joint Research Center” within the Korea Institute of Materials Science, the country’s leading materials research institute, to develop core aviation engine materials.

Cho Moon-soo, Chairman of Hankuk Carbon, stated, “At a time when securing export competitiveness is more important than ever, we expect this newly launched consortium to lead to a tangible enhancement of partner capabilities and to export achievements.”

Son Jae-il, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace, said, “The localization of aviation engines cannot be achieved without shared growth with our partners,” adding, “We will achieve technological sovereignty through co-prosperity.”

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