Home Asia Pacific South Korea’s KAI gets nearly $1B for Surion (KUH-1) helicopter deliveries to...

South Korea’s KAI gets nearly $1B for Surion (KUH-1) helicopter deliveries to ROK Army

ROK Army Surion
Photo: KAI

South Korean aircraft manufacturer Korea Aerospace Industries Co. (KAI) announced it has been awarded a contract worth nearly $1 billion (1.05 trillion-won) for the delivery of additional Surion (KUH-1) helicopters to the Republic of Korea Army.

The deal, awarded by the South Korean defense procurement agency DAPA, will see the company deliver an undisclosed amount of the transport utility helicopters by 2024.

The company added that is signed a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) contract for the helicopters.

The locally-developed Surion is replacing the UH-1H utility and 500MD light utility helicopters currently in service. The domestic helicopter program started in 2009 and has resulted in well over 200 helicopter orders so far.

KAI is delivering the helicopter in a range of variants for a different missions. These include a marine version with folding blades, an anti-submarine warfare variant and a police variant among others.

More recently, KAI also delivered the first new medical evacuation variant to the army. The twin-engine helicopter cab carry up to nine troops and has a crew of four.

Photo: KAI