Saean Group WiD-Sky (concept design)

WiD-Sky (concept design)
Saean Group
South Korea
Hanam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
www.saeanmotors.com

Saean Group was formed in 2013 and is headquartered in Hanam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. The company manufacturers electric cars, batteries and heavy industry vehicles. In early 2024, the company announced they will be designing and manufacturing hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) passenger aircraft for advanced air mobility (AAM).

WiD-Sky passenger hybrid-electric VTOL concept design aircraft
The WiD-Sky is a modern looking passenger hybrid-electric VTOL concept design aircraft that holds five passengers. The aircraft has enough room for the passenger's luggage. There are two gull-wing doors on each side of the aircraft and when the doors open, a small staircase is deployed and allows easy entry and exiting of the aircraft.

The aircraft has 32 electric ducted fans (EDFs), 32 electric motors and a hybrid-electric power source. Eight EDFs are housed in a circular fashion inside a larger fixed ducted housing. Each of these ducted housings are on the four corners of the aircraft. At first glance, one might think there might be either one or two propellers inside each of the ducted housings but this is not the case. The fuselage is made from carbon fiber composite material for a high strength to low weight ratio. There is one rear vertical stabilizer on the aircraft.

The aircraft has tinted panoramic wrap around windows allowing forward, left, right and top visibility for spectacular views for the passengers. The aircraft has fixed tricycle strut landing gear. Having fixed strut landing gear reduces the weight and complexity of the aircraft which increases passenger safety. The aircraft also has multiple redundant systems which also increases the safety of the passengers.

As of February 2024, the company has not indicted when working prototypes or when production aircraft are expected to roll off the assembly line.

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Hybrid-electric VTOL concept design aircraft
• Piloting: 1 pilot
• Capacity: 4 passengers
• Cruise speed: Unknown
• Range (batteries only): Short range
• Range (hybrid-electric): 1,200 km
• Propellers: 32 electric ducted fans (EDFs) (8 EDFs are arranged in a circular pattern within each ducted housing)
• Electric motors: 32 electric motors
• Power source: Hybrid-electric power source (hydro-LPG system and electric dual system)
• Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
• Windows: Panoramic wrap around windows allowing forward, left, right and top visibility for spectacular views for the passengers
• Tail: 1 vertical stabilizer
• Landing gear: Fixed tricycle strut landing gear
• Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) means having multiple propellers (or electric ducted fans) and multiple electric motors on an aircraft so if one or more propellers (or electric ducted fans) or some electric motors fail, the other working propellers (or electric ducted fans) and electric motors can safely land the aircraft. DEP provides safety through redundancy for its passengers or cargo. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy for its passengers or cargo. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure. There is also a whole aircraft emergency ballistic parachute in case of an unexpected inflight emergency.

Company Insights:

• Tracxn

Resources:

• Saean Group website
• Saean Group YouTube Channel
• Article: US Saean Group Inc. and South Korea BK Dong Yeong Tech Co., Ltd. Signed MOA for Electric Vehicle Battery Supply, Yahoo! Finance, Aug. 25, 2023
• Article: Saean Group Inc's "Hybrid Battery" research team is in operation., MarketWatch, Dec. 5, 2023
• Article: SAEAN Group develops air jet system for UAMs with 30% less noise and 20% more power, PR Newswire, Jan. 30, 2024