Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) unveiled Gentle Utility Helicopter (LUH) at DX Korea 2022, which is being held in Seoul from 21 to 25 September. The LUH is a variant of Gentle Armed Helicopter (LAH) that’s being developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). The LAH has been developed from the Eurocopter EC155 following an settlement between the multinational producer Airbus Helicopters and KAI made in 2015. It’s able to performing a number of mission roles together with gentle assault, shut air help, escort, and troop transport duties, changing each the MD500 Defender and AH-1S Cobra helicopters of the Republic of Korea Military’s (ROKA). On 4 July 2019, the LAH carried out its maiden flight, KAI reportedly goals to finish its improvement throughout 2022.

The protection information and evaluation firm Janes reported that the LUH is being pitched for a lot of mission units, considered one of which is the Particular operations Assault Helicopter (SAH). The LUH includes a stripped-out LAH, offering higher area to hold troops each contained in the cabin and on outboard benches just like these used onboard Boeing’s MH-6M Little Chook as utilized by the US Particular Operations Command. The SAH could possibly be used to help particular operations in dense city environments the place operators may make use of the helicopter’s Quick Rope Insertion Extraction System (FRIES) to insert shortly onto the bottom or rooftops, the usage of Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) and Air Launched Results (ALE).

Commercial

A mannequin of the Gentle Utility Helicopter (LUH) was displayed by KAI at DX Korea 2022.

Confirming that each the LAH and LUH are primarily based on the identical Airbus Helicopters H155 airframe that the LAH can have a most take-off weight of 4,920 kg. The airframe measures 14.3 m in size, 4.3 m in peak, and three.9 m in width. The Airbus Helicopters H155 is a long-range medium-lift passenger transport helicopter developed by Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters) from its Dauphin household for civil aviation use. The LUH has been designed to carry out each assault and reconnaissance missions. The flight system embrace a 4-axis automated flight management system (AFCS), whereas the dynamic methods are designed to minimise each noise and vibration. Crashworthy self-sealing gas tanks are additionally fitted.

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is a South Korean aerospace and protection firm. It was initially established as a three way partnership of Samsung Aerospace, Daewoo Heavy Industries’ aerospace division, and Hyundai House and Plane Firm (HYSA). KAI has been concerned within the manufacturing of a number of foreign-designed plane by way of licensing preparations, such because the MBB/Kawasaki BK 117, MBB Bo-105 KLH, and the KF-16. KAI has additionally developed and produced its personal plane designs, together with the KT-1 Woongbi and T-50 Golden Eagle coaching plane, the KC-100 Naraon normal aviation plane, and the KUH-1 Surion utility helicopter. Each the corporate’s headquarters and a number of other key manufacturing services are positioned in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province.