Heroux-Devtek signs deal to build landing gear for Korean fighter aircraft
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
South Korea expects to build at least 120 of the aircraft over next 15 years
SINGAPORE—As tensions continue to mount on the Korean peninsula, Héroux-Devtek Inc. has signed on to build the landing gear for a new South Korean fighter aircraft.
The Longueuil, Que.-based company has announced it has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Hanwha Corp.—the company responsible for building the new KF-X.
“Héroux-Devtek is proud to expand its global reach in the landing gear market by collaborating on a new program and joining forces with Hanwha, one of South Korea’s leading aerospace systems manufacturers,” Gilles Labbé, the company’s president and CEO, said. “We have a strong engineering team and this MOA recognizes our leading, world-class capabilities in the design and development of landing gear systems for various types of aircraft.”
The generation 4.5 fighter is expected to enter service in 2026, with at least 120 aircraft in service by 2032. Under the agreement, the company will collaborate on the landing gear’s design with Hanwha, while engineering and testing will take place at Héroux-Devtek’s facilities in Runcorn, U.K. and St-Hubert, Que. Production on the aircraft is expected to begin in 2023, while the preliminary engineering is set to start shortly.
The company did not disclose any of the deal’s financial arrangements.
