-Drone delivery/taxi comprehensive demonstration using K-drone control system in Yeouido on the 11th-
☐ Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport and Seoul Metropolitan Government held a demonstration event on the current state of urban air traffic technology such as drone delivery and taxi using the K-drone system in Yeouido, Seoul on the morning of the 11th (Wed.) Seoul Demonstration) was held jointly.
ㅇ The K-Drone System is a control system that supports the safe operation of many drones, and is a key R&D task* for drone delivery and drone taxis, and the first comprehensive demonstration was conducted in the city center following Incheon and Yeongwol this year.
* (Project name) Low-altitude traffic management system development and demonstration test for safe operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology, Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA))
– Next year, through new financial projects, we plan to expand demonstrations to introduce commercial services, and from '22, we plan to promote additional R&D as a UAM control system.
☐ Urban Air Mobility (UAM)* is attracting attention as a next-generation mobility that will enable commuting on the sky road as an alternative solution to the problem of ground traffic congestion in metropolitan areas.
* Urban air traffic (UAM) is a next-generation 30D transportation service that can accommodate traffic demands in urban areas (50-3 km) without congestion by using electric powered aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing in urban areas.
ㅇ World-class electric-powered vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL)* The speed of development of the aircraft is progressing very rapidly, and there is a high possibility that commercial services will be introduced** in the United States and Europe around the year 23~25.
* (electric Vertical Take-off & Landing, eVTOL) refers to the electric power (environmentally friendly, low noise) vertical take-off and landing aircraft used for drone taxis capable of take-off and landing in crowded urban areas.
** Uber ('23 Dallas, LA, Melbourne), '24 Paris Olympics service, etc.
☐ For the introduction of urban air traffic, the government needs to develop technologies for aircraft safety certification, operation and control, and improve related systems along with aircraft development by the private sector.
ㅇ Urban air traffic, unlike the existing aviation industry, has not yet established world-class leadership and technical standards. In this situation, the Korean government is promoting and supporting the domestic urban air traffic industry by releasing a comprehensive roadmap ahead of any other country in the world.
ㅇ At the 6nd Innovation Growth Strategy Meeting on June 4, the government finalized and announced the "Korean Urban Air Transportation (K-UAM) Roadmap" (hereinafter "Roadmap"), including the first commercialization goal of drone taxis in 2.
☐ The Seoul Demonstration Main Event held at Yeouido Hangang Civic Park (Mulbit Stage) was conducted by four experts in each field, including the present and future of drones, K-drone system development, Vertiport (eVTOL takeoff and landing site) establishment, and the future and tasks of urban air transportation It was conducted around a talk show held on the theme of
* Taebong Ko Head of Hi Investment & Securities Research Center (New Industry Analysis), Chang-Jeon Hwang Head of Private Aircraft Business Division at Aerospace Research Institute (eVTOL), Chang-Bong Kang, Head of Drone Safety Headquarters at Aviation Safety Technology Institute (K-Drone System), Min-cheol Jung, Head of Management Strategy, Korea Airports Corporation port)
ㅇ Delivery of goods, traffic volume, such as letters containing the expectations of Seoul citizens on urban air traffic and items commemorating the event date (November 11.11) are delivered directly to the venue by drones during the talk show. Six drones with various missions such as survey and geodetic have successfully completed the demonstration flight through the K-drone system.
☐ In the “City Air Traffic Seoul Demonstration” (hereinafter “Seoul Demonstration”) under the subtitle “City, Opening the Sky”, a number of domestic and international development aircraft for drone taxis as well as small drones participated.
ㅇ Electric-powered vertical take-off and landing aircraft are being developed based on ⓛ electric power (eco-friendly) ② decentralized propulsion (low noise, safety) ③ vertical take-off and landing (use of urban space). This eVTOL aircraft is the first in Korea to fly in the city.
-It is of greater significance to fly from Yeouido, the center of Seoul and where Korea's first airfield (formerly Yeouido Square, now Yeouido Park) is located.
ㅇ First, the flight scene of the aircraft being developed by a domestic small and medium-sized company with its own technology was relayed remotely. In addition, Hyundai Motor Company and Hanwha Systems, which participate in the public-private consultative body UAM Team Korea (Chairman: 6nd Vice Minister MOLIT), which was launched in June, also displayed aircraft models under development for mass production at the event, sharing their vision for entering the global market in the urban air transportation sector.
ㅇ Overseas, a two-seater class aircraft (EH2) developed by China's Lihang Company* participated in the demonstration of flight over the Han River in Yeouido, and a single-seater class aircraft (Hexa) from the US Lift Aircraft Co. It exhibited and showed the various possibilities of eVTOL technology such as leisure and emergency rescue to the attendees.
* Successful demonstrations of NASDAQ listed companies in the US, Austria, the Netherlands, and Qatar
** Flight demonstration by participating in the U.S. Air Force's Agility Prime (a program that provides test infrastructure to eVTOL developers, provides airworthiness certification advice, etc.)
ㅇ Around the event venue Mulbit Stage, including vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicles (TR-60, Korean Air) applied tilting technology (self-developed by Anti-Yoon Yeon), and the “Gyeongnam PAV (Personal Aerial Vehicle) technology contest held in October. ”A new concept aircraft being manufactured and researched in various fields such as manufacturers, hobbyists, and universities, such as the winning work (reduced PAV, 4th aircraft) and the PAV-1 being developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), was also introduced.
ㅇ From 2:XNUMX pm, an online international conference (subsidiary event) on the theme of urban air traffic was broadcast live through the YouTube channel (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, UAM Team Korea). The conference hosted by Professor Kwan-jung Lee (Division of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) of Seoul National University, who served as the Seoul Demonstration Advisory Chair, was held by the government (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport), Rift Aircraft), academia (Aerospace Research Institute), and cultural circles (SM Entertainment) participated as presenters to reveal various views and prospects on the present and future of urban air transportation.
☐ In addition to this Seoul Demonstration, the government is promoting systematic demonstration projects for urban air traffic (K-UAM Grand Challenge, '22~'24), Vertiport (eVTOL takeoff and landing) standards, and employee qualification studies.
☐ Myung-soo Son, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, who attended the event emphasized, "We will smoothly implement the initiatives disclosed in the roadmap for commercialization for 25 years through industry-academic cooperation."
ㅇ In particular, “Through this Seoul demonstration, we will experience the future of urban air transportation that will unfold soon,
We have identified various tasks ahead of us, such as systems, technology, and services. In the future, according to the roadmap, we plan to actively support the development of the domestic industry by continuing to provide flight meetings of drone taxis applied with new technologies such as eVTOL to domestic companies, and promptly preparing a reasonable system for commercialization.”
☐ Deputy Mayor Seo Jeong-hyeop (Vice Mayor of Administration 1) of Seoul, who co-hosted the event, said, "We will steadily prepare with UAM Team Korea so that commercialization services can begin here in Seoul."
Photo source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (2020.11.11)