Forms a Consortium with Kakao Mobility and GS Caltex
LG U+ will launch the urban air traffic (UAM) business by banding together with Kakao Mobility and GS Caltex. They will compete with consortiums formed by SK Telecom and KT for participation in the K-UAM Grand Challenge (K-UAM GC), a UAM project launched by the Korean government.
The consortium formed by LG U+ included Jeju Air, Pablo Air and Vertical Aerospace, in addition to Kakao Mobility and GS Caltex.
K-UAM GC is a project intended to verify technologies for commercialization of a UAM service by 2025. It tests the safety of aerial vehicles and traffic management systems. The participants in the program will be selected this year, with pilot flights in an open field slated to start next year.
LG U+ will provide a traffic management system and stable communication services that ensure safe operations of UAM machines. In addition, it plans to jointly develop and research a traffic management system in cooperation with Pablo Air, a drone solution and service company. The traffic management system analyze flight plans and flight information of UAM machines in real time to prevent them from veering away from their routes.
Kakao Mobility will present a multi-modal mobility vision based on its know-how in operating Kakao T, a mobility as a service (MaaS) app. In order to support seamless movement, it will be in charge of building a vertiport (a vertical take-off and landing facility for UAM machines) solution that implements automatic check-in and security search functions.
GS Caltex plans to build a UAM vertiport by utilizing its gas station network. Gas stations are evenly distributed throughout the country including city centers. Their open space makes it easy for aircraft to take off and land, making gas stations suitable as UAM bases.