KUH-1 Surion

The KAI KUH-1 Surion is a twin-engine medium utility helicopter developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) with the Agency for Defense Development and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, in partnership with Eurocopter. Deliveries to the Republic of Korea Army began in December 2012 to replace UH-1H and 500MD fleets. It is the first indigenous South Korean helicopter and formed the basis for police, coast guard, firefighting and amphibious derivatives.

Development

In December 2005 the South Korean government named Eurocopter as KAI's primary partner for the Korea Helicopter Project – Korea Utility Helicopter (KHP-KUH). In June 2006 KAI and Eurocopter won a ₩1.3 trillion R&D contract from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), funded 84% by the government and 16% by the two firms. Eurocopter held a 30% share of the 2006–2012 development phase and supplied the transmission, main and tail gearboxes, automatic flight control system and rotor mast. The first prototype was unveiled at Sacheon in August 2009 and flew on 10 March 2010. Development was declared complete in March 2013 after low-temperature trials in Alaska. Between 2011 and 2016 the Netherlands' National Aerospace Laboratory ran a fly-by-wire demonstration programme for the type; DAPA certified an ice protection system in 2018. The final ROK Army aircraft was delivered on 4 June 2024, with 210 KUH-1s and 8 KUH-1Ms acquired.

Design

The Surion carries two pilots, two gunners and up to nine troops, with a maximum takeoff weight of 8,709 kg and external lift of 2,700 kg. Power comes from two General Electric/Hanwha Aerospace T700-701K turboshafts of 1,383 kW each with dual-channel FADEC; the 701K is the first rear-drive T700 variant and uses a -701D core with counter-rotating power turbine. Engine exhausts have infrared suppressors adapted from the AS332. The airframe and cockpit are armoured against small arms, fuel tanks are self-sealing, and the main gearbox tolerates a period of run-dry operation. Defensive equipment includes a countermeasures dispenser system, radar warning receiver and laser warning receiver. Cobham supplies navigation and communications equipment, Elbit Systems the helmet-mounted display, and police aircraft carry Sandel HeliTAWS.

Armament

Standard armament consists of two pintle-mounted 7.62 mm machine gun pods in the cabin. Removable pylons accept heavier gun pods, unguided rocket launchers and anti-tank guided missiles. The MAH attack variant adds stub wings with six hardpoints for TAIpers ATGMs, rocket pods and Mistral missiles, plus a chin-mounted 20 mm turret.

Operational History

Ten Surions were handed over at the Army Aviation School in Nonsan in May 2013. The first operational mission was a MEDEVAC in August 2015 following North Korean artillery fire near the DMZ. The fleet has reportedly sustained availability above 80 percent. Deliveries were suspended in late 2016 over an icing defect, with trials repeated in 2017. A MUH-1 Marineon crashed at Pohang in July 2018, killing five; the cause was traced to a rotor mast defect introduced during forging by Aubert & Duval. The Army retired its last UH-1H in July 2020. In December 2024 KAI signed a US$93.7 million contract to supply two KUH-1s to Iraq by March 2029. A Philippine bid failed in 2019, losing to the UH-60.

Variants

• KUH-1 Surion: Baseline military utility transport for the Republic of Korea Army.
• KUH-1M: MEDEVAC version with hoist, weather radar, auxiliary tank and motorised stretchers for six patients; first flew January 2016.
• MUH-1 Marineon: Amphibious variant for the ROK Marine Corps with flotation system and folding rotor for Dokdo-class ships; 30 ordered December 2016.
• KUH-1P Chamsuri: Police variant for the Korean National Police Agency with weather radar, INS, hoist and cameras.
• KUH-1CG: Korea Coast Guard version with surveillance radar, EO/IR, AIS and SAR direction finder.