[E-Daily Reporter kim kwanyong ] On the 7th, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) unveiled prototype aircraft engines for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the first of their kind developed in South Korea. As this marks the first step toward an era of domestically produced fighter jet engines in a sector where reliance on foreign technology has been absolute, it is being hailed as a turning point in securing technological sovereignty—going beyond the mere development of UAV engines.

The engines unveiled that day were a 5,500-pound (lbf) class turbofan engine and a 1,400-horsepower class turboprop engine. Domestic companies, including Hanwha Aerospace, participated in the development of both engines. The 5,500-pound-class turbofan is scheduled to be applied to Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), which will conduct operations alongside manned fighter jets in the future, while the 1,400-horsepower-class turboprop is being developed as the power source for next-generation medium-altitude unmanned reconnaissance aircraft.

Aircraft engines are not merely propulsion systems; they are prime examples of cutting-edge technology that must operate reliably for thousands of hours in ultra-high-temperature and ultra-high-pressure environments. In particular, core technologies such as turbine blades, heat-resistant alloys, precision casting, thermal barrier coatings (TBC), and digital engine control (FADEC) share a significant common foundation with fighter jet engines.

While South Korea has previously succeeded in developing engines for missiles, it had never independently developed a long-life aircraft engine capable of repeated operation for over several thousand hours. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) explained that it has secured core technologies for long-life aircraft engines by applying turbine blades produced using domestic precision casting technology and the latest thermal barrier coating (TBC) technology for the first time. This signifies that the domestic aircraft engine industry has moved from producing single-use propulsion systems to the stage of developing long-life aircraft engines capable of repeated operation.

In particular, UAV engines rely on foreign technology to a greater extent than other weapons systems. This is because the transfer and export of related technologies are strictly restricted by various international regulations, such as the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR). In fact, only a very small number of countries worldwide—such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and France—are capable of independently developing high-performance aircraft engines.

The 5,500-pound-class turbofan unveiled this time is expected to become a core component of the Manned-Unmanned Teamed (MUM-T) combat system that the South Korean military is pursuing. Next-generation air combat is rapidly evolving toward a model where manned fighter jets share missions with stealth unmanned combat aircraft, rather than penetrating deep into enemy territory on their own.

The South Korean military is also pursuing the development of a Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) to operate alongside the KF-21, and the domestically produced turbofan engine is a core component of this platform. Success in domestic engine production would allow for independent performance upgrades without concerns over foreign export controls, while also significantly enhancing export competitiveness. The 1,400-horsepower-class turboprop is also expected to serve as the core power source for next-generation unmanned reconnaissance aircraft requiring extended flight times.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration also unveiled a broader blueprint that day. Unlike the KF-21, which uses foreign-made engines, the agency aims to equip the next-generation manned fighter jet with a domestically produced engine and plans to complete development by 2041. To this end, it has established a government-wide advanced aircraft engine development plan involving the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Aerospace Administration, and plans to begin developing some core technologies this year, with the main project set to launch in 2028. This signifies that the development of UAV engines is not an end in itself, but rather a process of accumulating technology to eventually move toward fighter jet engines.

Jeong Ki-young, Director General of the Future Capabilities Division at the Defense Acquisition Agency, emphasized, “We will do our utmost to secure policy support and funding for the development of aviation engines, which can be considered the final piece of the puzzle for Korea’s defense industry.”