Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) Unnamed (concept design)
Unnamed (concept design)
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)
Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea
www.koreaaero.com
Founded in 1999, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) based in South Korea is an aerospace and defense company. Korea Aerospace Industries manufacturers and produces helicopters, general aviation airplanes, fighter jets, satellites, launch vehicles and more. One of their most recent projects is a military reconnaissance hybrid-electric tilt-rotor vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The company is now in the business of making commercial hybrid-electric and all-electric VTOL passenger aircraft for advanced air mobility (AAM) as part of its new strategy to make KAI the number one aerospace company in Asia by 2030.
The Korea Aerospace Industries unnamed concept design is a five passenger eVTOL aircraft with an expected range of 400 km (249 mile). The aircraft has a sleek fuselage with a canopy over the cockpit and passenger compartment, one high main wing, five dedicated VTOL propellers, one rear pusher propeller for forward flight and tricycle wheeled retractable landing gear.
The aircraft's cruise speed, flight time, maximum payload weight, cruise altitude, piloting and most other specifications have not been released by the company. The company will most likely have its production aircraft piloted at first and then will eventually change to autonomous piloting when the technology has been proven and matured.
The concept design is a long-range aircraft making is possible for people to travel easily between two cities and to also travel from urban to rural areas. The aircraft would also be useful for rural to rural routes.
The company has stated its growth will be driven by future air mobility (electric and hydrogen aircraft), manned and unmanned multi-function systems, satellites and space projectiles, air defense electronics, simulations and software. As this is a concept design, the aircraft will most likely not be built or test flown.
Specifications:
- Aircraft type: eVTOL passenger concept design aircraft
- Piloting: 1 pilot
- Capacity: 4 passengers
- Cruise speed: Unknown
- Range (estimated): 400 km (249 miles)
- Flight time: Unknown
- Cruise altitude: Unknown
- Maximum payload: Unknown
- Propellers: 6 propellers (5 dedicated VTOL propellers and 1 pusher propeller)
- Electric motors: 6 electric motors
- Power source: Battery packs
- Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
- Window: Canopy over cockpit
- Wings: 1 main high wing with winglets
- Tail: V tail
- Landing gear: Tricycle retractable wheeled landing gear
- Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP), provides safety through redundancy for its passengers and/or cargo. DEP means having multiple propellers (or ducted fans) and motors on the aircraft so if one or more propellers (ducted fans) or motors fail, the other working propellers (or ducted fans) and motors can safely land the aircraft. There are also redundancies in the sub-systems of the aircraft.
Company Insights:
Resources:
- Korea Aerospace Industries website
- Korea Aerospace Industries Facebook
- Korea Aerospace Industries YouTube Channel
- Article: KAI sets sights on Asia No. 1 in ‘new space’ era, The Korea Herald, Apr. 4, 2021
- Article: KAI Aims to Become Asia's No. 1 General Aerospace Company by 2030, Business Korea, Apr. 5, 2021
- Article: South Korea’s KAI To Enter UAM Market, Aviation Week, Apr. 7, 2021
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