Korea Aerospace Industries said it was seeking to seal a deal to develop multimission maritime helicopters for the South Korean Navy by the end of this year.
It said that it had the technology to remodel the Surion utility helicopter into a naval helicopter equipped with high-functional sonar and radar systems for anti-submarine warfare, reconnaissance and search and rescue operations.
“We are hoping to get the Navy to say, ‘Yes, we need Korean-made helicopters,’ by the end of this year,” a KAI official said.
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| KAI seeks to remodel the Surion as a multimission maritime helicopter by securing a development contract with the Korean Navy by the year’s end. (KAI) |
“We are discussing the technology specifications of the helicopter, and one of them is that the Navy wants it to have the capability to automatically fold the rotor blades after it lands on vessels.”
Although KAI can make the aircraft in accordance with the Navy’s demands, it would affect the weight of the 8.7-ton helicopter as extra equipment would need to be installed to fold the blades, he noted.
The company has demonstrated that the helicopter’s blades can be manually folded within the standard time.
It said that it would be more costly to develop a naval helicopter than a medical evacuation helicopter as the former requires more sophisticated systems.
The Navy currently uses AgustaWestland’s AW159 without an automatic folding blade system.
KAI said it seeks to export its maritime helicopters to countries such as Indonesia and Peru, which have previously imported its basic trainer KT-1, after sealing a deal with the Korean Navy.
“Those countries could be our ideal export destinations as they already have (the infrastructure) to maintain low operation costs and procure parts for Korean aircraft,” the official explained.
By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)
