KAI's Korea Utility Helicopter successfully achieves first test flight.

The first flight test with two test flight pilots and two technicians onboard took wing for about 30 minutes. Test items included ground tests, including forward flight, backward flight and a change of direction as well as hovering flight and a change of direction after a rise up to the 80-feet above the ground. All the tests were completed successfully.

The Korea Utility Helicopter, an amphibious copter, is a derivative of the Korea's first airmobile Surion helicopter and was manufactured to fit into the warship/marine environment by applying the marine mission equipment and shipboard operations technologies with its fuselage optimized.

The KUH is equipped with a Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN), high frequency radios, emergency floats which enable the pilots to protect their escape time and the fuselage upon emergency landing at sea, and an auxiliary fuel tank for a long-haul ocean flight. KAI improved the retractable method of the main rotor to ban the body of the KUH from being corroded and to make the shipboard operations easier.

After the project completion, KAI will supply 40 Surion amphibious helicopter variants to the Marine Corps to enhance its ability to transport troops and equipment in the littoral regions.

“Development projects of Surion variants have attracted attention from overseas markets, including the emerging countries in Southeast Asia and Latin America,” the company added.