Romas progresses WIG aircraft development

Romas Industries displayed a model of its Jangvogo JV-1 WIG aircraft at ADEX 2023. (Janes/Amit Kalra)

South Korean firm Romas Industries displayed a model of its Jangvogo JV-1 wing-in-ground (WIG) effect aircraft at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2023, which ended on 22 October.

Jang Young Shin, general manager of Romas Industries' e-Plane Department, told Janes that the JV-1 platform has been designed to meet civil and defence requirements for transport, search-and-rescue, special missions, and other maritime-domain operations.

He said the JV-1, which is intended to operate in Sea State 3 conditions, features twin forward propellers that provide consistent positive lift without any turbulence to the control surfaces.

The company said the aircraft also features a compound wing with a T-tail design, fly-by-wire controls, and is equipped with redundant and independent twin General Motors LT4, 6.2 litre supercharged engines.

The proposed dimensions of the aircraft include a length of 16.3 m, a wingspan of 14.5 m, and a height of 4.9 m. The maximum take-off weight of JV-1 will be 4,800 kg, with a maximum load-carrying capacity of 1.660 kg. JV-1 will have a flight endurance of five hours and a maximum operating range of 1,000 km (at an altitude of 0.8 m). The maximum operating speed of the aircraft is listed as 220 km/h. The aircraft will accommodate a total of two crews and 10 passengers in the baseline configuration.

The JV-1 will be equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS)-GLONASS satellite navigator equipment, international electronic weather data system, and Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) equipment. In low visibility, the JV-1 will be able to operate along with the radar in surface and gliding modes at speeds of 10–110 km/h, Jang said.