KUH-1 Surion
Type: Utility Helicopter
Domain: air
Country of Origin: South Korea
Manufacturer: Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)
First Deployed: 2013
Overview
The KUH-1 Surion is South Korea's first indigenous military helicopter, developed by KAI in partnership with Airbus Helicopters (providing the H155 technology base). The program replaced aging UH-1H Iroquois and 500MD fleets while reducing foreign dependency. Over 200 produced for the Republic of Korea Army in troop transport, MEDEVAC, and command configurations. The MUH-1 Marineon naval variant serves the ROKMC for amphibious and ship-based operations. Features a modern glass cockpit with multi-function displays, FLIR sensor integration, and NVG compatibility for night operations. The Surion program also provided the foundation for the separately developed Light Armed Helicopter (LAH).
Technical Specifications
| crew | 2 + 13 troops |
|---|---|
| mtow | 8,709 kg |
| range | ~475 km |
| engines | 2x GE T700-701K turboshaft (1,800 shp each) |
| variants | KUH-1 transport, MUH-1 Marineon (ROKMC), MEDEVAC, SAR |
| max_speed | 265 km/h |
| rotor_diameter | 16.0 m |
Operators
- Paraguay
- Republic of Korea Army
- Republic of Korea Marine Corps
- South Korea
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