Over 200 Surion Helicopters Fully Deployed for Operational Use

Replacement of Aging UH-1H and 500MD Utility Helicopters

Deployment of over 200 units of the Korean-made utility helicopter Surion has been completed.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the military on the 24th, the Surion is the first domestically developed utility helicopter designed to replace the aging UH-1H and 500MD helicopters operated by the Army. The system development, which began in 2006, was completed in 2012, and the first unit was delivered to the Army in the same year. Through four rounds of mass production over approximately 12 years until June of this year, around 200 units have been sequentially delivered to the Army.

The Surion performs missions such as air assault operations, cargo airlift, and command and control. Equipped with advanced mission equipment, its survivability has been greatly enhanced. It offers all-weather precision navigation and significantly improved pilot safety through an automatic flight control system. Currently, the domestic production of the Surion’s power transmission system is underway, and future plans include performance upgrades for pilot and crew survival equipment.

A military official stated, "We plan to continuously upgrade the Surion helicopter’s performance in line with the trends of advanced technology development," adding, "We will also do our best to ensure that the Surion can spread its wings vigorously overseas," expressing a strong commitment to exports.

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