Hanwha Aerospace Signs Agreement for Additional T700 and F404 Engines to Power Korea's Indigenous Aircraft

Hanwha Aerospace has signed an agreement with GE Aerospace to purchase additional T700 and F404 engine kits to power Korea Aerospace Industries’ Surion helicopter and T-50/TA-50/FA-50 Golden Eagle jet trainer and multirole light attack aircraft. Under this agreement, Hanwha will receive 88 T700 engine kits and 40 F404 engine kits with GE Aerospace manufacturing the engine hardware and Hanwha assembling and testing the engines.

“GE Aerospace remains committed to supporting Korea’s indigenous military aircraft programs, such as the Surion and the T/FA-50 Golden Eagle with our proven and advanced engines,” said Rita Flaherty, Vice President and General Manager of Sales & Business Development for GE Aerospace’s Defense & Systems business. “Today’s announcement is another example of the long-standing partnership between GE Aerospace and Hanwha Aerospace, and we look forward to more decades of working together.”

“Hanwha Aerospace possesses strong technological capabilities and competitiveness in Korea’s defense industry through the production of engines for key national indigenous aircraft, including the KF-21, T-50, and KUH Surion,” said Sun Kim, Senior Executive & President of Aero Engine Business Group, Hanwha Aerospace. “This latest order deepens our partnership with GE Aerospace, allowing both companies to contribute to the advancement of Korea’s growing defense capabilities and competitiveness.” 

Combat proven in the world’s harshest environments, the T700 engine is the engine of choice for the world’s most demanding military and civilian applications with more than 25,000 engines delivered and more than 100 million flight hours. The T700-701K engine, which powers the Korean Surion Helicopter, is the first rear-drive variant of the T700 engine family. 

The F404 engine is one of the most versatile engines in its class and continues to set the standard for performance, simplicity, and capability. More than 4,000 F404 engines have been delivered and have accumulated more than 13 million engine flight hours, including 300 engines that power the T-50, TA-50, and FA-50 Golden Eagle produced in Korea.