LAH Endured Minus 30 Degrees... Unmanned Drone Integration Next Year

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The domestically developed Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) has successfully flown in extreme conditions averaging minus 32 degrees Celsius.

According to Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) on the 18th, the LAH's low-temperature flight tests were conducted over approximately nine weeks from December last year to this month in Yellowknife, Canada.

The low-temperature flight test is a procedure to verify the aircraft's performance, vibration, load, and other maneuvering characteristics by exposing the aircraft to low temperatures for an extended period. Yellowknife is the closest area to the Arctic in Canada, maintaining an average winter temperature of minus 32°C.

After the low-temperature flight test, if the subsequent evaluation is successfully completed, the LAH is expected to receive a combat suitability certification and complete development by the end of this year. Thereafter, a manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) system, which operates in conjunction with unmanned aerial vehicles, will also be applied. This will enable the pilot to launch unmanned drones from the helicopter to conduct reconnaissance and precision strikes on targets, then return or perform self-destruct attacks.

During this test, about 165 items were evaluated through more than 40 flights. A soaking test was also conducted, exposing the aircraft to minus 32 degrees Celsius for 12 hours to verify the normal operation of various equipment, including engine start-up.

The Light Armed Helicopter is a domestically produced armed helicopter equipped with indigenous air-to-ground guided missiles (AGM), a 20mm machine gun, and 70mm rockets, primarily tasked with supporting airborne assault units and destroying enemy tanks.

Since KAI began development in June 2015, the first prototype was unveiled in December 2018, about three and a half years later. In December 2020, it received a 'provisional combat suitability' certification, allowing administrative procedures to be shortened to prepare for mass production.

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