KAI Signs Additional Contract for 2 Surion Coast Guard Helicopters with Korea Coast Guard

Coast Guard Helicopter White Eagle (KUH-1CG)

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) announced on the 10th that it has signed a contract with the Public Procurement Service for two White Hawk helicopters (units 4 and 5) worth 49.7 billion KRW. Delivery is scheduled by July 2024.

The White Hawk (KUH-1CG) is a helicopter developed and modified based on the domestically produced Surion helicopter to be suitable for maritime police missions such as maritime terrorism, maritime crime control, and search and rescue.

Equipped with a search radar for maritime target detection, electro-optical infrared cameras, hoists, and searchlights, it enables real-time on-site confirmation and day/night search and rescue operations. Notably, this contract includes the new search radar (Osprey 30), which can detect up to 1,000 targets simultaneously, expected to further enhance capabilities for maintaining security and preventing accidents.

The Korea Coast Guard purchased two White Hawks in 2016 and one in 2018, currently operating them at Jeju, Yangyang, and Busan aviation units, totaling five helicopters including this contract. Previously, the White Hawk unit 1 deployed in Jeju successfully rescued five crew members stranded on the rocky shore of Seongsan Ilchulbong in February, proving stable operational performance in Jeju’s often strong winds.

KAI plans to further expand the domestic utility helicopter market by increasing mission availability and customer satisfaction through prompt technical support and smooth follow-up services. Technical specialists for each system are stationed at six domestic operating bases, enabling regional after-sales service and continuous support, and the training center operated at the headquarters in Sacheon reduces training costs and improves training convenience.

So far, the domestically produced helicopters purchased by government agencies total 20 units, including five Coast Guard helicopters, ten police helicopters, four firefighting helicopters, and one forestry helicopter. A KAI official stated, “We will manufacture and deliver helicopters of perfect quality to ensure the Korea Coast Guard can perform their missions smoothly.”

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