CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Korea Aerospace Industries’ manufacturing line for the Surion helicopter is receiving a shot within the arm due to the event of two new variations for South Korea’s army, plus manufacturing for a brand new export buyer.
When KAI first mooted the Surion in 2007, officers voiced formidable plans to export 300 helicopters over 25 years. Sadly, these goals are nowhere near being realized, as simply two have been offered abroad thus far.
Nonetheless, new variants just like the Marine Assault Helicopter (MAH) – closely armed and designed to assist Korean amphibious operations – will hold KAI’s manufacturing facility ticking over.
The armed MAH is essentially the most succesful model of the Surion helicopter but, and KAI engineers just lately oversaw the maiden flight of the primary of three prototypes. The corporate introduced the milestone in mid-January, although the flight really occurred Dec. 17.
Now, growth of the 19,200lb (8,709kg) MAH will proceed with a sequence of complete exams slated to conclude in August 2026. Kang Koo-young, KAI’s President, mentioned, “Now that we’ve reached an necessary turning level for profitable growth, we’ll conduct extra truthful and dependable flight take a look at evaluations to create an plane that our army and residents can belief.”
The MAH has a chin-mounted 20mm cannon, plus stub wings that carry rockets, air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles.
Growth of the MAH commenced in October 2022, with floor testing beginning final October. It benefited from programs integration work carried out earlier on KAI’s Mirion mild armed helicopter, of which South Korea’s military formally acquired the primary two on Dec. 26, 2024. The Mirion is an armed model of the Airbus H155.
For its half, the MAH is predicated on the MUH-1 Marineon multirole helicopter already utilized by Korea’s Marine Corps, with KAI noting benefits by way of coaching and logistics.
KAI handed over the past of 30 Marineon helicopters in June 2023, and a 12 months later it introduced completion of manufacturing of 210 KUH-1 Surions for the nation’s military.
KAI can also be engaged on the Korean Mine Countermeasures Helicopter model of the Surion. A key piece of its tools is Northrop Grumman’s Airborne Laser Mine Detection System that detects, classifies and localizes floating and near-surface moored mines.
Nevertheless, Surion export orders have lagged far behind home demand. Cho Hyun-ki, a Protection Acquisition Program Administration official, had mentioned final 12 months: “We’ll do our greatest to make sure that Surion can flap its wings abroad.”
Its first profitable flutter duly occurred final December when KAI signed the Surion’s first export contract value 136 billion gained (US$92.7 million). A inventory alternate submitting confirmed Iraq was shopping for simply two helicopters appropriate for firefighting. These are to be delivered by March 2029.
Surion civil orders are maintaining the manufacturing line going too, with the Korea Coast Guard working 9 Surions and the Korea Forest Service 4 plane. Every company ordered one addition Surion final month, these due for handover in December 2027. In complete, South Korean authorities companies have contracted for 35 Surions.
Gordon Arthur is an Asia correspondent for Protection Information. After a 20-year stint working in Hong Kong, he now resides in New Zealand. He has attended army workouts and protection exhibitions in about 20 international locations across the Asia-Pacific area.
