Hanwha Aerospace Starts UAM, Jointly Develops Electric Actuator with UK Vertical

Letter of Intent for Joint Cooperation Signed at Farnborough Airshow in the UK on the 20th

On the 20th (local time) at the Farnborough Airshow held in London, UK, Shin Hyun-woo, President of Hanwha Aerospace (left), and Michael Servenka, President of Vertical Aerospace (right), are taking a commemorative photo in front of Vertical's VX4 aircraft immediately after signing a letter of intent for joint cooperation. Photo by Hanwha Aerospace

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jung] Hanwha Aerospace announced on the 21st that it has signed a letter of intent for joint cooperation to jointly develop electric actuators for eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles) and establish a partnership with Vertical Aerospace, a UK-based UAM (urban air mobility) specialist company.

Vertical Aerospace, established in 2016, is a UK-based UAM aircraft developer. It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange last year with a market capitalization of approximately 1.2 trillion KRW and is headquartered in Bristol, UK.

Hanwha Aerospace held the signing ceremony on the 20th (local time) at the Farnborough Airshow in the UK, which opened on the 18th (local time), with Hanwha Aerospace President Shin Hyun-woo and Vertical Aerospace President Michael Cervenka, among other officials, in attendance.

Through this agreement, Hanwha Aerospace will establish a cooperative relationship for the development and mass supply of electric actuators to be applied to Vertical Aerospace’s four-seat air taxi 'VX4' currently under development, and will continuously strengthen strategic partnerships to expand its UAM business in the future. Electric actuators (EMA) are drive devices that control various mechanical operations of UAM using the rotational power of motors powered by electricity. They are mainly applied to flight control devices that control the aircraft’s direction and attitude.

The eVTOL VX4, which Vertical Aerospace is developing with a target commercialization date of 2025, has secured over 1,400 pre-orders from global aviation operators to date. Accordingly, Hanwha Aerospace plans to collaborate with Vertical Aerospace to develop and supply actuators optimized for the VX4, meet the airworthiness certification standards required for eVTOL aircraft, and further establish a mass production and supply system.

Hanwha Aerospace President Shin Hyun-woo said, "We have been recognized as a strategic partner in the global UAM market, which demands the highest level of technology and reliability," adding, "This proves Hanwha Aerospace’s unparalleled competitiveness, having supplied actuators for various fighter jets and commercial aircraft."

Regarding this, Vertical Aerospace President Michael Cervenka emphasized, "We are pleased to form a partnership with Hanwha Aerospace," and "We were deeply impressed by their technological capabilities and manufacturing expertise demonstrated in the global aviation market."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport estimates the global air mobility market to be approximately 730 trillion KRW by 2040 through the K-UAM roadmap. The US investment bank Morgan Stanley has projected an even larger market growth, forecasting the global UAM market to reach 1.5 trillion USD (about 1,875 trillion KRW) by 2040. In this regard, Hanwha Aerospace plans to lead future mobility technologies such as UAM based on its accumulated technological expertise in the aerospace sector.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.