SKT는 조비와 지난 20일 SK T타워에서 ‘한국형 도심항공교통 실증사업(K-UAM 그랜드챌린지)’ 및 상용화를 위한 협력 계약을 체결했다.
K-UAM Grand Challenge Demonstration Project Agreement… $100 Million Investment
Introduction of Joby Aircraft Next Year… Verification of Overall Stability of UAM Operations
SKT is working with global urban air mobility (UAM) aircraft manufacturer Joby Aviation to commercialize UAM in Korea.
SKT announced that it signed a cooperation agreement with Joby for the 'Korean Urban Air Mobility Demonstration Project (K-UAM Grand Challenge)' and commercialization at SK T Tower on the 20th. The signing ceremony was attended by organizations such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korea Aerospace Research Institute, and Korea Aerospace Safety Technology Institute, and discussed the future commercialization schedule and policy cooperation plans, including the demonstration project, with both companies.
Upon signing the contract, the two companies will invest their entire capabilities, including technology, infrastructure, and human resources, into the UAM demonstration project to verify safe operation capabilities optimized for the domestic environment.
SKT and Joby will utilize the Joby aircraft (S4) in the first phase of the demonstration project to be held at the National Comprehensive Flight Performance Test Center in Goheung, Jeollanam-do next year.
SKT plans to conduct operational verification for each flight scenario, including integrated normal operation, noise measurement, abnormal situation response capability, and collision management. In particular, it plans to test communication quality at an altitude of 300 to 600 meters above sea level, which is the UAM operation altitude, by utilizing the 4G and 5G-based UAM specialized airspace network built by SKT. To this end, Joby dispatches its technical personnel to Korea.
SKT said that this agreement is “significant in that it concretizes a plan to secure a stable airframe for the first domestic commercialization in 2025.”
In order to commercialize UAM domestically, it is necessary to secure an aircraft that has passed certification from a global agency such as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Joby has completed more than 70% of the certification plan, the third stage of the FAA aircraft certification process, and unveiled a mass-produced aircraft last June.
SKT made a strategic investment of $100 million in Joby last June, securing the exclusive right to use Joby aircraft in the Korean market. With this contract, SKT plans to bring Joby aircraft into Korea next year.
SKT will use UAM as a medium to achieve AI Transformation (AIX) in the future in the mobility sector. In the early stages of commercialization, it will start with manned flights with pilots, but it will integrate the UAM ecosystem based on AI to enable personalized services linked to ground transportation and unmanned autonomous flights.
Meanwhile, the K-UAM Grand Challenge is a demonstration project hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to comprehensively verify the core elements of UAM operation in urban and non-urban areas ahead of commercialization in 2025. Last February, SKT signed an agreement with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to participate in a demonstration project at the level of the 'K-UAM Dream Team Consortium (SKT, Korea Airports Corporation, Hanwha Systems, T Map Mobility)'.
Ha Min-yong, Chief Business Development Officer (CDO) of SKT, said, “With this agreement, we plan to introduce the world’s best UAM aircraft next year and verify its safe operation capabilities,” and “Going forward, SKT will open the era of ‘AI mobility’ that will change the paradigm of transportation by combining UAM with AI technology.”
“This agreement represents an important step forward in our journey to make UAM services a daily reality in Korea,” said Eric Allison, Vice President of Joby. “We are proud to partner with SKT to demonstrate these innovative technologies as part of the Grand Challenge flight demonstration project.” He added, “We are also grateful for the Korean government’s continued leadership in pioneering the introduction of the aircraft.”