Korea unveils cutting-edge military chopper Surion

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration, the state-run arms procurement agency, said Friday that it has completed a project worth 1.3 trillion won (1.17 billion U.S. dollars) to develop the Surion utility helicopter, a world-class and high-tech vehicle set to replace aging choppers such as the UH-1H and the 500MD.

With the project`s completion, Korea is the 11th country domestically developed a helicopter. The country now has advanced aerospace technology in becoming capable of developing core parts of a helicopter, following the development of the T-50 supersonic trainer jet and the KT-1 basic trainer jet.

Developed to fit the country`s topography, the Surion is a state-of-the-art helicopter with superior maneuverability and capability for hovering at the elevation of Mt. Baekdu (2,744 meters). It can also perform stable tactical maneuvers any time of the day regardless of weather and is equipped with safety devices to protect pilots and the aircraft. The developers also installed detection devices and response systems against enemy’s anti-aircraft weapons to increase battle survivability.

"More than 10 years are required to develop a helicopter, but the Surion was developed in a shorter period of time because of advanced design and engineering technologies applied to the development of the T-50 trainer jet," said the arms agency.

The Surion is expected to have an economic-generating impact of 12 trillion won (10.8 billion dollars) and create 50,000 jobs. If government agencies such as the Korea Coast Guard, the National Emergency Management Agency and Korea Forest Service, replace aging choppers with the new model, a huge amount of foreign currency can be saved. Public agencies operate about 100 helicopters, and their demand for the Surion will exceed 2 trillion won (1.8 billion dollars) over the next 20 years.

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