Breaking news
South Korea's KAI Completes the Development of Amphibious Variant of Surion Helicopter.
| 2015
Serial
production is expected to start in the first half of 2016 and delivery
to the military will be wrapped up by 2019. "The latest success in the development is expected to help double our military's ability to conduct multidimensional high-speed amphibious operations," a KAI representative said. "It will also help expand the radius of operations of the Marine Corps and improve their mobility." The marine version comes with additional functions and high-tech equipment to be used for the Marine Corps' various amphibious missions. Two auxiliary fuel tanks were added to the marine chopper in addition to the four original tanks, which empowers the upgraded model to fly 524 kilometers for three hours without stopping. The extended range was verified in a flight test conducted in September, according to KAI. The helicopter is also fitted with folding rotor blades to be reduce their footprint on surface vessels. |
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Video
showing the Surion in Amphibious variant during qualifications. Video:
KAI |
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