The Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) and the Korea Meteorological Administration have jointly announced plans for a preliminary feasibility study for a national research and development (R&D) project totaling 430 billion won to develop core technologies for the advancement of Korean urban air mobility (K-UAM) and its technology-led growth.
This is a follow-up measure to the K-UAM Technology Competitiveness Enhancement Plan developed by the public-private consultative body UAM Team Korea in August.
The new R&D initiative has been designated as a preemptive investment project with high safety priority.
“Current aviation systems and technologies, such as control, communication and navigation, are limited in providing real-time, precise flight status monitoring and flight support when flying at high density (eight vehicles simultaneously on a 30km-long route) in urban areas.” MOLIT said on September 15. “Technologies that can address these challenges include AI and data-based traffic management, real-time, high-resolution customized weather observation and forecasting, automated operation of multiple vertiports and next-generation urban air traffic communications that will enable these capabilities. Public technological capabilities that institutionally guarantee the safety of UAM aircraft and air navigation facilities must also be secured. Advancing safety systems and technologies is also crucial for effectively supporting domestic aircraft development projects.”
The R&D project includes 13 critical tasks for safe operation across three areas: AI traffic management, vertiport automation and safety certification systems. A demonstration aircraft will be introduced to verify the results.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport will be responsible for the overall R&D, while the Korea Meteorological Administration will provide high-resolution weather observation and forecasting models. Ulsan City will support the construction of a testbed (Ulju County, Ulsan) for demonstration purposes.
MOLIT said the R&D initiative “will contribute to establishing a foundation for the revitalisation of the new air transport system by advancing core technologies for a safe operation system with proven future-oriented technology, safety, and acceptability, and conducting testing and evaluations to prepare for the full-scale urban entry of K-UAM”.
For more information
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport – Republic of Korea
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This news story has been written with the assistance of translation software
