[THE INVESTOR] South Korea will redesign the parts of its Surion helicopter that would allow it to be sold to overseas customers, the military and manufacturer said Sept. 23.

In a months-long test conducted in Michigan, the Surion utility helicopter also called the KUH-1 failed to operate properly under a set of very challenging humid and freezing temperatures. Several parts in Surion didn’t meet the international standards, said an official at the Korea Aerospace Industries.

The Surion helicopter reportedly didn’t pass 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.




An official at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said it will resolve the issue as soon as possible to help the country secure a new growth engine in the aerospace sector amid a slowing economy.

KAI has supplied 54 Surion choppers to the Army which has a long-term plan to operate 200 Surions. More than 90 Surions are being built at KAI’s manufacturing facility in Sacheon, 437 kilometers south of Seoul.

KAI plans to continue to build the 90 Surions in Sacheon and will replace the parts that didn’t meet the standards with the updated ones later, he said.

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)