Корея Ғарыш-Қорғаныс Индустриясы: Даму және Өнімдері

South Korean Aerospace company

Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd. (KAI; hangul=한국항공우주산업 ) is a South Korean aerospace and defense company. It was originally established as a joint venture of Daewoo Heavy Industries' aerospace division, Samsung Aerospace, and Hyundai Space and Aircraft. During 1999, KAI became more independent of its founding members, acquiring their aerospace interests at the behest of the South Korean government following the financial troubles of these companies that had resulted from the 1997 Asian financial crisis. KAI has developed various aerospace products, including the Korean Space Launch Vehicle II (KSLV II) and various satellites. It has been involved in the production of several foreign designed aircraft via licensing arrangements, such as the MBB/Kawasaki BK 117, MBB Bo 105 KLH, and the KF 16. KAI has also developed and produced its own aircraft designs, including the KT 1 Woongbi and T 50 Golden Eagle training aircraft, the KC 100 Naraon general aviation aircraft, and the KUH 1 Surion utility helicopter. Both the company's headquarters and several key manufacturing facilities are located in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province.

KAI was involved in the production of the first indigenously developed South Korean aircraft, the KT 1 Woongbi; it was developed under the KTX program, which had been launched during 1988 on behalf of the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) to develop an indigenously designed trainer aircraft. It was a joint effort between KAI and government body Agency for Defense Development (ADD); the latter was responsible for overseeing the project, while the former performed the detailed design work as well as the majority of manufacturing activity. During 2002, KAI revealed that they were working on the production of an upgraded and armed version of the KT 1, designated KO 1, which was intended to be used in the forward air control and counter insurgency (COIN) roles. Development was conducted in cooperation with the ADD and had been undertaken in response to an existing RKAF requirement for 20 40 aircraft. During June 2006, KAI and Eurocopter won a research and development contract for the Korea Helicopter Project Korea Utility Helicopter (KHP KUH) from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to start the project. The development of the rotorcraft, the KUH 1 Surion, was funded 84% by the South Korean government and 16% by KAI and Eurocopter. At the time, it was the biggest South Korean defense contract to be issued to a non American defense company. In January 2011, Eurocopter and KAI established a joint venture, KAI EC, for the purposes of marketing the Surion and handling export sales; at the time, it was envisioned that 250 300 units would be sold worldwide by 2021. In December 2012, deliveries of the first Surion model formally commenced. The Surion served as the basis for a navalised derivative, the Korean Naval Helicopter (KNH); by 2011, the KNH had entered into the development stage; work was being performed on the project by a partnership between KAI, Eurocopter, and Elbit Systems. Keen to beak into the civilian market and reduce its reliance on government projects, KAI formally launched development of the KC 100 Naraon general aviation aircraft during 2008. While largely conventional in its basic configuration, use of composite materials and the adoption of cutting edge technologies were intended to allow it to be 10% more fuel efficient than existing rivals. The flight test program was completed successfully on 22 March 2013, the aircraft's type certificate being received shortly thereafter. During the 2010s, KAI commenced development of a military trainer variant, designated KT 100, for the ROKAF; the first aircraft of this model first flew during 2015. Once delivered, the KT 100 fleet will replace the 20 Ilyushin Il 103 aircraft currently stationed at the ROKAF's academy for training student pilots. In 2008, KAI studied a 60 seat KRJ regional jet: a T tail, four abreast aircraft able to be stretched to 100 seats, similar to the Bombardier CRJ. In October 2012, a joint development deal between Bombardier Aerospace and a government led South Korean consortium was revealed, to develop a 90 seater turboprop regional airliner, targeting a 2019 launch date. The consortium would include both KAI and Korean Air Lines. Despite this announcement, KAI continued to study the prospective 90 seat regional airliner for several more years.

Korean Space Launch Vehicle II (2021) The Korean Space Launch Vehicle II (KSLV II) has been designed to generate a combined thrust of 300 tons by tying in parallel four 75 ton class liquid fuel powered engines. KSLV 2 is the launcher earmarked for the spacecraft that South Korea proposes to send to the moon by 2022. A lunar lander is supposed to follow in 2030.