LS Cable and System develops power cable for airplanes

LS Cable and System, the country’s largest producer of cables and wires, announced Thursday that it has developed a cable for supplying power to airplanes, a first time for Korea.

The cable was supplied to Incheon International Airport Corp.

According to the company, the new cable is capable of carrying electrical currents of up to 400 hertz frequency, making the new product compatible with electrical systems installed in airplanes and other specialized vehicles including fighter jets and aircraft carriers. By comparison, ordinary cables are designed for frequencies of up to 60 hertz, the company said.

According to LS Cable and System, it is the fifth company internationally to succeed in developing this kind of a commercially viable product meeting the requirements.

The company said that it plans to build on the contract with Incheon International Airport by entering China and other overseas markets.

Until recently airplanes were required to keep their jet engines running to supply power to the cabin while parked. However, for environmental reasons, airports have been installing ground power systems in which the power is supplied from the airport.

The company estimates the world’s market for electrical cables for airports to be about 700 billion won ($644 million), and that for cables supplying power to parked aircrafts to be between 50 billion and 60 billion won.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)