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| Image: Flickr User - Republic of Korea Armed Forces |
By: Jung Sung-Ki
SEOUL -- The supply of the Surion utility helicopter to the South Korean Army has been suspended due to a failure in critical airworthiness tests, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
The twin-engine, troop-carrying rotorcraft, codenamed KUH-1, was co-developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Airbus Helicopters, formerly known as Eurocopter, in 2009 to replace the aging fleet of UH-1Hs and 500MDs, which have been in service for decades.
KAI has supplied the Army with 54 Surions since 2013 and is supposed to manufacture some 200 more by 2023 under a contract with the DAPA.
The helicopter, however, failed a cold-weather test taken in northern Michigan between last October and March, according to the arms agency.
“The Surion failed 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,” a DAPA spokesman said, adding the helicopter failed to satisfy 29 of the 101 requirements concerned.
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