South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace (012450.KS) has officially formalized its “One Sky” strategy, which unifies manned aircraft engine and UAV engine development under a single framework. The vision is to combine 47 years of accumulated engine design and testing data with a proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) model to shorten development timelines and reduce costs, while creating a cyclical structure in which mass-production expertise gained from UAV engines is fed back into next-generation manned aircraft engine programs.

The company announced the strategy on the 28th, following its presentation at the “Gas Turbine Symposium 2026” held in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, on the 27th. In a special lecture, Kim Sun, Vice President of Hanwha Aerospace, categorized the company’s existing manned aircraft engine business as “Legacy Excellence” and the UAV-centric new market as “New Sky,” emphasizing technological convergence between the two domains.

Kim noted that conflicts in Europe and the Middle East have demonstrated a growing pattern of low-cost drones and UAVs neutralizing high-value strategic assets. In future battlefields where high-performance fighter jets and missiles operate alongside relatively inexpensive UAVs, the very criteria for engine development must change, he explained. The ability to rapidly secure large quantities of aerial combat power at reasonable cost has become critical.

Hanwha Aerospace’s core competitive advantage is data. Over the past 47 years, the company has conducted more than 10,000 test runs in the process of developing and mass-producing dozens of engine types, and has resolved over 1,000 design and process defects. It has also built a database of approximately 35,000 entries related to aircraft engine materials.

This data is used to train the company’s proprietary AI model, “En-genius.” The system simulates potential risks in the design and testing phases to identify them in advance, while 3D printing technology is leveraged to reduce trial-and-error. “A failed engine test can add billions of won in costs and months of development time,” said Vice President Kim. “We will leverage our accumulated technology, experience, and AI to reduce development risk and respond to the future aircraft engine market.”

Production infrastructure is another pillar of the strategy. The company has established an integrated quality, cost, and delivery (QCD) management system built on its global supply chain and smart factories in the United States, Vietnam, and elsewhere. Hanwha Aerospace has branded this capability as “We Know Sky.”

Localization of the engine pipeline is also taking concrete shape. In July, the company unveiled prototypes of a 5,500-pound-class turbofan engine for low-observable unmanned wingman aircraft and a 1,400-horsepower-class turboprop engine for medium-altitude UAVs, both developed under government-led programs.

Future plans extend to higher-output engines. The company intends to participate in the development of a 10,000-pound-class turbofan engine for stealth UAVs, as well as the government-led “Advanced Aircraft Engine” development program targeting the successor to South Korea’s KF-21 supersonic fighter and sixth-generation fighter jets.

Industry observers view the One Sky strategy as a practical solution for dispersing the high entry barriers and enormous R&D risks inherent in aircraft engine development. The reasoning is that mass production of UAV engines can first secure near-term profitability and component reliability, enabling a phased expansion into advanced high-output gas turbines.

“Forty-seven years of accumulated technology and experience is like drawing a blueprint while already knowing the answer key,” said Vice President Kim. “We will concentrate our development capabilities so that South Korea can lead the New Sky era of the future aviation market by fusing accumulated data with cutting-edge AI technology.”