Doosan Enerbility is joining hands with LIG Defense & Aerospace (LIG D&A) to expand its penetration of the K-defense market. Following its participation in aircraft engine development, the company is now moving into the development of advanced missile engines.

Doosan Enerbility announced on the 20th that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with LIG D&A for the development of engines for guided weapons. Guided weapons are smart missile weapon systems that maneuver using advanced sensors and control devices to autonomously pursue and strike their targets.

The signing ceremony held on the 19th at Doosan Tower in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, was attended by key officials including Sohn Seung-woo, Head of Power Service BG at Doosan Enerbility, and Park Tae-sik, Head of the Missile Systems Business Division at LIG D&A. Through this agreement, the two companies plan to secure capabilities for the localization of next-generation guided weapon engines and cooperate to achieve technological self-reliance and strengthen global competitiveness in the domestic defense sector. In particular, Doosan Enerbility, which has a track record of participating in aircraft engine development based on its world-class gas turbine development and manufacturing technology, is effectively expanding its K-defense portfolio into the guided weapon engine sector through this partnership. ● Doosan Enerbility diversifies defense supply chain from aircraft to guided weapons

Industry sources regard Doosan Enerbility, which possesses proprietary gas turbine technology, as a key player in the localization of core defense technologies. Until now, as engines—the core of defense systems—have been dependent on foreign companies, structural constraints have arisen in exporting completed defense products, such as the need to obtain approval from engine suppliers. The latest engine development collaboration is seen as significant in that it seeks to resolve these constraints and promote technological self-reliance.

Although Doosan Enerbility’s gas turbine technology for power generation is applied in a clearly different domain from aircraft and guided weapon engines, the operating structure and design principles—comprising compressor, combustor, and turbine—are essentially the same. In particular, its specialized high-temperature alloy casting technology for temperatures above 1,500 degrees Celsius, regarded as a core of gas turbine manufacturing, and its aerodynamic blade cooling technology can be directly applied to jet engines for guided weapons. In March 2024, Doosan Enerbility added “aircraft engine manufacturing, parts manufacturing and maintenance (MRO)” to its corporate purpose at its regular general shareholders’ meeting. Since then, it has been pursuing the development of engines for manned and unmanned aircraft in cooperation with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), and Korean Air. Under the latest agreement, LIG D&A will be responsible for the development of guided weapon systems, while Doosan Enerbility will develop the engines applied to those systems. The two companies have agreed to establish a close cooperation framework across the entire process, from the development of engines applicable to guided weapon systems to testing, evaluation, and certification.

With demand for long-range precision strike systems rising rapidly in the global defense market, securing high-performance engines has emerged as a core competitive factor. Doosan Enerbility and LIG D&A intend to leverage their accumulated strengths in engine development and guided weapon systems, respectively, to pioneer future defense markets. In particular, this collaboration shows Doosan Enerbility seeking to diversify its defense supply chain beyond aircraft engines into the guided weapon engine sector.

Sohn Seung-woo, Head of Power Service BG at Doosan Enerbility, stated, “This agreement is meaningful in that it establishes a long-term cooperation framework with LIG D&A, which possesses South Korea’s leading capabilities in guided weapon system development,” adding, “By combining the core technologies of both companies, we will contribute to the localization of K-defense technologies capable of competing in the global market.”

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