KUH-1 Surion

KUH-1 Surion

Type: Medium 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

crew2 + 13 troops
mtow8,709 kg
range~475 km
engines2x GE T700-701K turboshaft (1,800 shp each)
variantsKUH-1 transport, MUH-1 Marineon (ROKMC), MEDEVAC, SAR
max_speed265 km/h
rotor_diameter16.0 m

Operators

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