Korea Aerospace KUH-1 Surion
The KAI KUH-1 Surion is South Korea's first domestically developed helicopter, built with technical assistance from Eurocopter to reduce the country's long-standing dependence on imported American helicopters for its army aviation fleet. It shares dynamic-system lineage with the Airbus H155/Dauphin family, adapted and modified for South Korean military requirements and local production. A dedicated attack variant, the Light Armed Helicopter, and a naval variant extend the same basic design across multiple South Korean military roles. It reflects South Korea's broader push toward domestic defence manufacturing self-sufficiency, alongside programs like the KF-21 fighter.
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Did you know?
The Surion replaced South Korea's Vietnam-era UH-1H Hueys as its army's standard utility helicopter.
Specifications
| Length | 15.1 m (50 ft) |
|---|---|
| Height | 4.5 m (15 ft) |
| Rotor diameter | 15.8 m (52 ft) |
| Maximum passengers | 9 |
| Persons on board | 18 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 8.7 t |
| Range | 300 NM (556 km) |
| Service ceiling | 19,700 ft (6,005 m) |
| Rate of climb | 1,700 ft/min (8.6 m/s) |
| Engines | 2x General Electric T700 |
| Units built | 218 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Korea Aerospace KUH-1 Surion starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Korea Aerospace, the KUH-1 Surion family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
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