South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) reported that deliveries of the KUH-1 Surion medium utility helicopter to the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) have been completed.
The Korean Surion helicopter project was initiated with the aim of replacing the aging UH-1H and 500MD helicopters operated by the South Korean Army and fostering domestic industry. The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) participated in the development, led by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).
Development of the Surion system was completed between 2006 and 2012. KAI delivered the first unit to ROKA in December 2012, and continued deliveries sequentially through four serial production contracts over a 12-year period, until this June 24, 2024, with a deployment completion ceremony, the Army received its 200th Surion helicopter.
Surion helicopters play a key role in the South Korean Army, performing air assault, cargo airlift and command and control operations, among others.
According to DAPA, the Surion is equipped with the latest in 3D electronic mapping, helmet-integrated display device and 4-axis automatic flight control system, making complex tactical maneuvers possible even in bad weather, day and night. To increase the safety of the aircraft, the helicopter is fitted with ballistic protection in critical areas such as the rotor system, cockpit, engine and fuel tank. Backup systems ensure redundancy in case of failure or damage.
KAI developed a broad family of helicopters from the base design, and the Surion is currently produced in MEDEVAC, navalized utility versions for the Marine Corps, Police, Coast Guard, forestry, firefighting and also in civilian versions.
KAI is currently working on the development of a boosted transmission system and in the future plans to improve the performance of the pilot and crew survivability equipment to further evolve the design and make it more attractive to the export market, since unlike other internationally successful South Korean defense products, the vast majority of Surions are flown for South Korean government or private agencies.
