KAI’s Marine Attack Helicopter (MAH) prototype has flown

On 15 January 2025, KAI (Korea Aerospace Industries) and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced that the first of three Marine Attack Helicopter (MAH) prototypes had made its first flight on 17 December 2024, at the rotary-wing flight centre located in Ivanseong-myeon, Jinju.

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The new MAH amphibious assault helicopter was developed to meet the requirements of the South Korean Marine Corps, and is a derivative of the Marineon MUH-1 (Marine Utility Helicopter), proven as an operational shipboard helicopter, with the weapons system technology of the LAH Mirion (Light Armed Helicopter) the domestically developed small armed helicopter. The new variant’s close similarity to the MUH promises some commonality in training and support.

As such, the MAH is the latest derivatve of the Korean Utility Helicopter (KUH-1 Surion) programme, launched in 2006 as a joint venture between KAI, DAPA, the Korean Aerospace Research Institute, and Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters). The aircraft was loosely based on the AS532 Cougar. The KUH-1 Surion was rolled out in July 2009 and made its first flight in March 2010, entering Republic of Korea Army service in 2012, becoming South Korea’s first domestically-designed and locally-produced helicopter.

The KUH-1M, a dedicated medical evacuation version, followed, introducing a medical interior, a weather radar, auxiliary fuel tanks and an external winch.

The KUH-1CG was produced for the Korean Coast Guard, and further versions were produced for the Korea Forest Service, the National Emergency Management Agency, and the National Police Agency. The helicopter has been offered for export, so far without success.

Sell it to the Marines!

The KUH-1 was followed by the MUH-1 Marineon for the Republic of Korea Marine Corps (RoKMC). The RoKMC was disbanded and its assets were integrated into the RoK Navy (ROKN) in 1973, but though it was re-established in 1987, no aviation component was permitted until 2014, when plans were laid for the fielding of three squadrons, two equipped with 30 MUH-1 Marineon assault helicopters, and one with MAH attack helicopters. In the event 24 MAH have been ordered.

The introduction of the MUH-1 Marineon was problematic. The first pair entered service with the RoKMC in January 2018, but one was lost that July, leading to the grounding of the entire Surion fleet for most of the year.

Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) awarded KAI a $300-million contract in October 2022 to develop the MAH as an armed amphibious attack helicopter version of the MUH-1 Marineon. This will provide powerful fire support and escort for RoKMC Marineon helicopters, including during amphibious assault operations.

Basic design was reportedly completed in April 2023 and detailed design work finished in September 2023. Ground testing of the first of three MAH prototypes began in October 2024, and by the beginning of 2025, KAI had completed production of the first three MAH prototypes. A First Flight Readiness Review (FFRR) was completed in December, leading to the maiden flight on 17 December.

Video from the first flight showed that the MAH has a fully integrated glass cockpit, including helmet-mounted displays, and night-vision goggle compatibility, target acquisition and designation sights (TADS), and a digital stores management computer. The aircraft has an extensive self-protection suite, with missile and laser warning sensors on the sides of the nose, and on the cockpit sides. An electro-optical/infrared turret is fitted to the front of the nose.

As well as being protected against seawater corrosion, the MAH is equipped with flotation devices for emergency landings on water, and has folding main rotor blades to reduce its deck and hangar ‘footprint.’

The MAH is powered by a pair of 1,855 shp General Electric/Hanwha Aerospace T700-701K turboshaft engines, fitted with full-authority digital engine (FADEC) to optimize performance.

The MAH is heavily armed, with an articulated  three-barrelled 20-mm gun mounted below the nose, and with stub wings attached to the sides of the fuselage. Each has three weapons hardpoints, carrying four-round clusters of Hanwha Aerospace Cheongeom ATGMs inboard, seven-round rocket pods under the centre hardpoint, and dual MBDA Mistral AAMs on the outboard stations.

At least some, and probably most of the weapons systems on the MAH have already been integrated on the Light Armed Helicopter (LAH-1) Miron, another locally developed helicopter, but based on the smaller Airbus H155. The first examples were delivered to the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) in December 2024.

KAI said that the first flight lasted around 20 minutes and included tests of the helicopter’s flight controls, performance and stability. This included “taxiing, taking off, and performing hovering, circling, forward/backward/left/right flights, S-shaped circling flights, and maximum horizontal flight at an altitude of approximately 30 meters [100 feet].”

KAI President Kang Gu-young said, “I would like to thank everyone involved who worked together to achieve the success of the Marine Attack Helicopter’s first flight. As we have reached an important turning point for successful development, we will continue to support our military and armed forces through fairer and more reliable flight test evaluations. We will create an aircraft that our armed forces can rely on.”

KAI now intends to conduct tests at operationally representative weights, progressively expanding the flight envelope and reaching higher speed, climb performance and hover altitude. Weapons testing will follow, and the company hopes to complete development of the system by August 2026.

KAI is now expected to develop a mine countermeasures version of the Marineon for the RoK Navy.

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