Hyundai Motor Company successfully demonstrates first phase of 'K-UAM Grand Challenge'

Hyundai Motor Company, together with Korean Air, Incheon International Airport Authority, KT, and Hyundai E&C, has successfully completed the first phase of the Korean Urban Air Traffic Grand Challenge (K-UAM Grand Challenge), which was held for about five weeks at the Goheung National Flight Performance Test Centre in Jeollanam-do.

The K-UAM Grand Challenge is a large-scale public-private partnership demonstration project promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport to verify airframe safety and prepare operational concepts and technical standards for domestic conditions with the aim of commercialising UAMs in 2025. Hyundai formed the 'K-UAM One Team' consortium with Korean Air, Incheon International Airport Corporation, KT, and Hyundai E&C in 2021 to participate in the demonstration project.

Hyundai and four other companies participated in the first phase of the K-UAM Grand Challenge, completing joint verification of the airframe and operation, traffic management, and Vertiport. They also successfully verified the world's first integrated system between an eVTOL aircraft, UAM operation system, and 5G aviation communication network.

First, Hyundai built a MaaS platform that connects UAM and land mobility, and demonstrated how passengers using UAM can connect various mobilities from the point of departure to the final destination. Furthermore, it laid a concrete foundation for establishing a domestic business model.

In addition, Hyundai secured various empirical data on the operating environment of UAMs, such as weather, wind speed, and atmospheric turbidity, and derived conditions that must be considered when developing the airframe. Hyundai plans to reflect the results of this demonstration in its future airframe development and product strategy.

Korean Air verified the stability of the flight control system and traffic management system for UAMs currently under development, and Incheon International Airport Corporation verified the smooth operation of the VertiPort operation system. In addition, KT has established a platform to process and share traffic and safety data required for flights in real time, and Hyundai E&C has conducted simulation analyses of congestion and walking systems to improve the design and construction technology of Vertiport, a vertical take-off and landing area for UAMs.

Based on the results of the first phase of verification, Hyundai Motor and the four companies will further enhance the systems and processes required for the UAM business, and continue to work together to revitalise the domestic UAM industry and commercialise it early. "We plan to work closely with the consortium, which has a wealth of experience and know-how in each area, to materialise the domestic UAM business so that future customers can use UAM conveniently," said Kim Chul-woong, Vice President of Hyundai Motor's AAM business.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group's UAM arm, Supernal, unveiled its next-generation UAM aircraft, the S-A2, for the first time at CES 2024 earlier this year and announced its strategy for building a future Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) ecosystem. To this end, the company plans to continue research and development with the goal of global UAM commercialisation in 2028, while continuing strategic alliances with companies and government organisations around the world.

Article roadtesting editorial (dhseo1208@gmail.com)

Photo Hyundai Motor Company