Gwangju Fire Headquarters to Introduce Latest Multi-Purpose Medium Firefighting Helicopter Next Year

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] The Gwangju Metropolitan City Fire Safety Headquarters is introducing the latest multipurpose medium-sized fire helicopter to ensure safe aerial rescue in response to increasingly complex and large-scale disasters.

The Fire Safety Headquarters announced on the 21st that it will replace one fire helicopter that has been in operation for 23 years with the latest multipurpose medium-sized fire helicopter and deploy it in the field in 2022.

The currently operated fire helicopter, a model introduced in 1997 (BK117B-2), has faced difficulties in aerial missions due to ▲a short endurance time of 2 hours and 40 minutes ▲insufficient fuel capacity for patient transport to major hospitals in the metropolitan area ▲inefficient small water tank capacity (670ℓ) for wildfire suppression ▲lack of modern features such as safety devices and automatic flight.

Accordingly, to introduce a helicopter optimized for the characteristics of Gwangju City, the purchase process has been carried out based on compliance with the "Aviation Safety Act" and the "Fire Department Fire Helicopter Basic Specifications," following legal review by Gwangju City's legal advisory group.

Additionally, specifications were drafted after receiving advice and review from experts in various fields, including fire departments from other cities and provinces, police, the Korea Forest Service, the Coast Guard, professors from related academic departments, and private aviation experts.

The Fire Safety Headquarters decided to introduce the AW-139 from Italy's Leonardo, a latest model currently operated by many including fire departments, the Coast Guard, and private airlines, whose suitability for rescue missions and safety have been verified.

The newly introduced fire helicopter is equipped with ▲automatic flight control and night vision goggles (NVG) for day and night missions ▲electronic maps covering the entire country ▲enhanced vision system (EVS) ▲enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) ▲traffic collision avoidance system II (TCASII), enabling safe aerial rescue missions.

It has the capability for non-stop refueling-free flights to major hospitals in the metropolitan area from Gwangju and neighboring cities and provinces, continuous mission execution without refueling during local missions, and a water tank capacity exceeding 1500ℓ, allowing efficient response to wildfire suppression.

Song Seong-hoon, head of the 119 Special Rescue Team, said, "The introduction of the new multipurpose medium-sized fire helicopter is expected to greatly enhance Gwangju City's aerial rescue and emergency medical capabilities," adding, "We expect to perform perfect aerial rescue missions and save citizens' lives more quickly in urgent situations where every second counts through safe operation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.