At ADEX 2021, KAI displayed a Surion MAH model fitted with, among other things, an enlarged stub wing-type structure mounting four canisters, each of which is designed to launch either a small UAV or a loitering munition. The display is meant to highlight the company's ongoing work on an MUM-T capability. (Dae Young Kim)
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has confirmed that it is working on providing its newest armed helicopters with a manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capability.
At the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition 2021 (ADEX 2021) held from 19 to 23 October, the company showcased a model of the Surion Marine Attack Helicopter (MAH) fitted with an enlarged stub wing-type structure mounting four canisters, each of which is designed to launch either a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or a loitering munition.
KAI's Surion MAH will be developed to meet a Republic of Korea Marine Corps (RoKMC) requirement for 20–24 such rotorcraft. The country's Defense Project Promotion Committee decided in April that the development and acquisition project, which has been provisionally budgeted at KRW1.6 trillion (USD1.44 billion), is expected to begin in 2022 and be completed by 2031.
The aircraft is aimed at enhancing the service's amphibious assault capabilities, particularly in the northwestern islands near the inter-Korean border, by providing aerial fire support, among other things. The helicopter must be compatible for operations alongside the KAI MUH-1 Marineon helicopter, which is in RoKMC service.
A scale model of the MAH was displayed for the first time at ADEX 2019. As Janes
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