Latest news with #Surion
Korea Herald
29-05-2025
- General
- Korea Herald
Navy patrol aircraft crashes in Pohang during drill
A P-3 maritime patrol aircraft, carrying four people, crashed into a mountain near a naval base in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, authorities said Thursday. The Navy confirmed in the afternoon that a P-3 patrol aircraft with four aboard crashed into an area near its naval base soon after 1:43 p.m. The aircraft was engaged in a military training exercise, it added. As of press time, the Navy said the cause of the crash was unknown and any casualties remained unknown as of 2:51 p.m. "A P-3 maritime patrol aircraft that took off for training from an air base in Pohang at 1:43 p.m. crashed at a nearby location due to unidentified reasons," the Navy said in a notice to reporters. The crash appeared to have caused a fire, with heavy smoke covering the area, according to photos provided by the local media. The National Fire Agency said 40 firefighters and two helicopters were deployed to the crash site on a mountain in Pohang, after receiving reports at around 1:50 p.m. Thursday's crash came nearly three months after an uncrewed aerial vehicle crashed into a Surion utility helicopter at an aviation battalion at an Army base in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, in mid-March. The fire destroyed both aircraft, but there were no casualties. Also on March 6, two KF-16 fighter jets accidentally bombed a village in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, during a training exercise, injuring multiple people. The incident was caused by a pilot entering incorrect target coordinates.
Iraq Business
24-04-2025
- Business
- Iraq Business
Iraq discusses buying Korean Defence Helicopters
By John Lee. Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet Mohammed has discussed expanding cooperation with South Korea on air and mobile defense systems, including the Korean Utility Helicopter (KUH-1), also known as 'Surion'. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the IQDEX 2025 International Defense Exhibition , held in Baghdad from 19th to 22nd of April. Korean companies attending the exhibition included Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI), LIG Nex1, and Hyundai Rotem. Full statement from South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA): The Defense Business Administration participated in the 'IQDEX 2025 (International Defense Exhibition Iraq) held in Baghdad from April 19th to 22nd, and carried out activities to promote K-defense exports. IQDEX is one of the international defense exhibitions involving defense officials and global defense companies from major Middle Eastern countries, including Iraq. This year, Korean Aerospace Industries Co., Ltd., LIGnex One, Hyundai Rotem, and other domestic defense companies participated in the exhibition to actively promote the technology and reliability of K-Defense in the local area. In particular, institutions such as the Korean Embassy (Ambassador Choi Sung-soo) and the Korea Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) have also provided a full-scale support for the promotion of defense exports. The Defense Business Administration attended the exhibition with the head of the helicopter business (Army Brigadier General (Jin) Ko Hyung-seok), and during a high-level interview with the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, the Defense Business Administration discussed in-depth cooperation measures for the export of mobile and air defense weapons systems that Iraq is interested in, including the Korean mobile helicopter Surion (KUH). The Defense Business Administration met with Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet Mohammed and expressed its willingness to actively work to further develop the rapidly expanding defense cooperation between the two countries in recent years. In response, Defense Minister Tabet expressed his high confidence in the Korean defense sector and emphasized the need for bilateral cooperation to promote defense cooperation. The meeting is expected to be an important step towards a subsequent expansion of exports. Together with our defense companies, the Defense Business Administration has actively introduced the performance and operation experience of various weapons systems that Iraq shows interest in, such as manoeuvre and air defense weapons systems, and has tried to expand the scope of defense cooperation between the two countries and strengthen the foundation for K-Defense's entry into the Middle East market. The head of the Heliang Business Administration (Jin), said, "Through this participation in IQDEX 2025, we were able to further strengthen our defense cooperation with Iraq and actively promote the excellence of K-defense, including Surion and LAH, and continue to support the global market expansion of domestic defense companies through active support from the government level." The Defense Business Administration will continue to actively explore the possibility of defense cooperation with countries in the Middle East, including Iraq, and continue its efforts to improve the global competitiveness of K-Defense. (Source: Defense Acquisition Program Administration)
Korea Herald
23-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Arms agency hold talks on Surion helicopter exports to Iraq during arms fair
South Korea's arms procurement agency said Wednesday it has taken part in a defense exhibition in Iraq and held talks with Iraqi military officials over exports of the South's Surion helicopters. Officials from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration visited the Middle Eastern country for the International Defense Exhibition from Saturday through Tuesday to promote South Korean weapons systems, according to the agency. In a meeting with Iraq's Defense Minister Thabet Mohammed Al-Abbasi, DAPA officials expressed their willingness to advance growing defense cooperation between the two nations. The Iraqi defense minister was quoted as stressing the need to bolster bilateral cooperation in the arms industry and expressed deep trust in the South Korean arms industry, according to DAPA. In December, South Korean defense firm Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. signed a 136 billion-won ($95.3 million) deal to export Surion helicopters to Iraq by March 2029, in what marked the first export of the homegrown chopper. The Surion, also known as the Korean Utility Helicopter, is a medium-sized utility helicopter that has been deployed in the South Korean Army since 2012. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
09-04-2025
- General
- Korea Herald
Drone-helicopter collision caused by sudden gust of wind: military
A collision between a military drone and a helicopter last month was caused by a sudden gust of wind during the drone's landing, an Army official said Wednesday. An Army investigation committee reached the conclusion after analyzing video recordings, surveillance camera footage and flight data from the March 17 collision between a Heron reconnaissance drone and a Surion helicopter at an airfield in Yangju, just north of Seoul. "The committee did not identify any human error, equipment flaws, or problems with maintenance systems or military discipline," the Army official said. The investigation found that a gust of wind pushed the Heron drone upward while it was trying to land in automatic landing mode. During its next landing attempt, another gust of wind combined with a cross wind to push the drone off the runway and into the parked helicopter. In the wake of the accident, the Army will quickly install warning systems against rapidly changing winds and nets around the helicopter parking area. The collision left both aircraft destroyed but no one injured. (Yonhap)
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
Amid setback, South Korea pushes forward on drones, loyal wingman
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Despite a recent accident with an Israeli-built drone, South Korea's military is pressing ahead ahead with unmanned technology, including a stealthy loyal wingman designed to accompany the air force's new KF-21 Boramae fighters. The accident occurred on March 17, when an IAI Heron-1 drone belonging to Korea's army veered off a runway upon landing at Yangju, subsequently colliding with a parked Surion helicopter. Both aircraft were written off, meaning the army has now lost all three of its Herons in accidents. Nonetheless, the country is under the gun to accelerate its drone plans – and for reasons outside immediate military-equipment considerations. Kim Jae Yeop, senior researcher at the Sungkyun Institute for Global Strategy in Seoul, told Defense News South Korea's low birth rate, amongst the lowest in the world, is looming large. 'The number of regular troops in the armed forces, which is now roughly 500,000, will highly likely decrease to fewer than 400,000 in the next decade,' he said. 'As a result,' Kim explained, 'Seoul is taking active measures to expand the role of military unmanned systems to offset the reduction in troops. They can be acquired at significant scale at a lower cost and without risk to life in missions.' One important program saw Korean Air roll out a new loyal wingman technology demonstrator – called the Low Observable Unmanned Wingman System, or LOWUS – on Feb. 25. The stealthy turbofan-powered LOWUS, funded by the Agency for Defense Development since 2021, was unveiled at the Korean Air Tech Center in Pusan. Its maiden flight is expected later this year, ahead of manned-unmanned teaming flight tests in 2027. Possessing an internal weapons bay and looking similar to the American XQ-58A Valkyrie, Korean Air lists a length of 10.4m and wingspan of 9.4m for the aicraft. As with similar loyal wingman concepts by other major powers, the idea for the drone sidekicks is fly missions ranging from strike to surveillance, jamming and escort. The LOWUS will likely have a domestic engine and active electronically scanned array radar. Korean Air gained experience with requisite stealth technologies when developing the blended-wing KUS-FC, or Kaori-X, drone that first flew in 2015. In the future, Korea's air force is expected to introduce composite squadrons of manned fighters and loyal wingmen. 'Considering the fact that only a small number of countries like the U.S., Australia and Russia have been producing and testing similar kinds of systems, the LOWUS highlights Seoul's technological achievements,' said Kim. Another program currently underway comprises a search for loitering munitions for Korean special forces units. A platform is due to be selected later this year, and Seoul is allocating around $22 million to this acquisition. Foreign types like the Switchblade 600 and Hero 120 are under consideration, with the aim being to give special forces strike drones they can use independently against North Korean invaders without the need for calling in external fire support.
