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| Image: Flickr User - Republic of Korea Armed Forces |
South Korea will redesign the parts of its Surion helicopter which recently failed to pass an extreme climate performance that would allow it to be sold to more customers around the world, the military and manufacturer said Friday, Sept. 23, 2016.
In a months-long test conducted in the United States, the Surion utility helicopter failed to operate properly under a set of very challenging humid and freezing temperatures. Several parts in Surion didn't meet the international standard, an official at the Korea Aerospace Industries said. KAI is South Korea's sole manufacturer of aircraft.
The Surion helicopter reportedly didn't pass the test carried out to see the impact of ice generated during flight under humid and freezing conditions on the engine and several other components.
"We are planning to redesign the failed parts and put them under the same test again. Passing the test is essential to better exporting the Surion helicopter," the official told Yonhap News Agency, asking not to be named.
A Defense Acquisition Program Administration official in charge of the matter was not immediately available for comment.
Read the full story at Air Recognition