KAI Signs 1.4 Trillion KRW Contract for 'Small Armed Helicopter'

Replacement of 500MD Aging Helicopters... Initial Delivery in Early 2024

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has signed a contract for the second batch production of the Army Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) worth approximately 1.4 trillion KRW. The LAH is the second domestically developed helicopter using Korean technology. It is scheduled to carry out missions such as the Army's aerial strike operations (anti-armor combat) and air assault support, replacing the aging 500MD Tow and AH-1S Cobra helicopters.

On the 14th, the light armed helicopter LAH demonstrated a test flight at the 'Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Industry Exhibition 2019 Media Day' held at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. / Seongnam - Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

According to KAI on the 27th, this contract includes the LAH aircraft, technical manuals, and integrated system support elements such as follow-up technical support. The contract period is about 60 months, and the second batch is scheduled for delivery starting from the fourth quarter of 2025 after the initial production batch. KAI signed the initial production contract for the LAH at the end of last year, established the production infrastructure, and is currently proceeding with production aiming for the first delivery by the end of 2024.

Through this second batch production contract, KAI plans to solidify the LAH production system and actively promote the development of LAH derivative helicopters and entry into overseas markets based on this. Additionally, to enhance versatility, KAI will focus on developing derivative helicopters capable of performing various missions such as special operations attack helicopters and command and control helicopters based on the LAH platform.

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