Korea Develops Its First Small Passenger Plane

S. Korea will begin manufacturing small private planes and other civilian aircraft in 2014 based on a four-passenger plane unveiled Wednesday by the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs at Korea Aerospace Industries in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province.

The plane was named “Naraon” based on suggestions solicited from the public. The plane’s development will be completed by 2013 and mass production will begin in 2014 for private and corporate sales, said the Ministry.

The Naraon has a top speed of 389 km/h (243 mph) and has a maximum range of 1,859 km (1,162 miles), putting all of Japan and China’s biggest major cities within its reach. It will be priced at about W600 million ($568,720) for use as a commercial commuter, a flight trainer and a leisure craft. It is build of a light, carbon-based composite material with electronically-controlled fuel injection. The Naraon is said to be 10 percent more fuel efficient than comparable rivals.

Korea had already developed an indigenous military training jet, the T-50 in 2005, and recently struck its first export deal with Indonesia. But the development of a civilian passenger aircraft requires additional technology and infrastructure that had not been developed in Korea until now. KAI had begun development of the Naraon in 2008. Ninety percent of its parts are based on home-grown technology.

When it begins building and flying commercial passenger planes, S. Korea will join a long list of 27 other nations that including the U.S., Russia, Canada, Brazil, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, Germany, Sweden, Israel and the Netherlands.