The unmanned swarm drone engine being developed with domestic technology, rated at 5500lbf (pound-force; 1lbf is the force of Earth's gravity acting on a mass of 1 pound (approximately 453g)), will be unveiled in the third quarter of this year. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) plans to first publicly show a completed prototype and then conduct test flights starting at the end of this year. After passing test evaluations, it will become the first domestically produced long-life (an engine that can be used for more than 1000 hours) aircraft engine. Military engines must undergo maintenance after a certain run time, and those that can be used for over 1000 hours after a single maintenance are referred to as 'long-life.'
According to military authorities and the defense industry on the 7th, DAPA plans to exhibit the actual shape of the 5500lbf turbo fan engine for unmanned aerial vehicles at the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX 2025), scheduled to be held from October 17 this year. This engine, developed with a total investment of 153.1 billion won by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and Hanwha Aerospace, will be publicly unveiled after 12 years since development began in 2013.
The engine is intended to be installed in an unmanned swarm system consisting of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles. It is a low observable unmanned swarm drone designed to reduce the probability of detection, incorporating stealth technology that makes radar detection difficult, capable of performing reconnaissance and attack missions. Korean Air is currently developing a prototype for the low observable unmanned swarm. The mass production company will be determined later, and the 5500lbf domestic engine will be installed in this mass production process.
The original target date for the engine's development was this year, but it was delayed by about two years due to component issues. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy planned to use parts developed through a research project, but the assembly process revealed dimensional mismatches, leading to some deficiencies in completion. It is said that ADD resolved these issues earlier this year. A DAPA official noted, 'All factors that could delay the completion timeline have been eliminated.'
Once the 5500lbf aircraft engine development is completed, it will be the first long-life engine made with domestic technology. DAPA has previously developed single-use engines used in missiles. An industry official said, 'Domestic aircraft engines can be developed for military use in fighter jets and civilian use in commercial aircraft, and there are no export restrictions.' It is known that only four countries possess aircraft engines used in fighter jets: the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, and France.
DAPA and ADD are also developing a 10,000lbf aircraft engine. Doosan Enerbility, which has gas turbine engine technology for power generation, is also participating. The budget set by DAPA totals 360 billion won by 2031, of which 150 billion won is allocated to the 5500lbf engine budget. Research is currently underway on crucial components such as turbine aerodynamics-cooling design and technical evaluation for the 10,000lbf turbo fan engine. As output increases, materials that can withstand high temperatures are required.
DAPA started developing a 16,000lbf advanced aircraft engine at the end of last year. The goal is to create an engine that delivers higher performance than the engine mounted on the Korean Fighter KF-21 (rated at 14,770lbf). DAPA is dividing development tasks to leverage the strengths of Hanwha Aerospace and Doosan Enerbility that participated in the development. This approach is interpreted as a way to induce competition among companies while minimizing conflicts.