South Korea has successfully completed weapons operation tests for its homegrown Marine Attack Helicopter (MAH), the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Wednesday.
The MAH is based on the Marine Utility Helicopter (MUH) "Marineon," itself derived from the Korea Utility Helicopter (KUH) "Surion." The new attack variant incorporates avionics and weapons systems already proven on the Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) "Mironᅳ."
The helicopter's weapons suite includes a turret-mounted machine gun, the Cheon-geom air-to-ground guided missile, 70-mm guided and unguided rockets, and air-to-air guided missiles.
The aircraft recently completed all tests, including a live-fire trial of the air-to-air guided missile. It marks the first time a Korean-made military helicopter has demonstrated the capability to fire an air-to-air guided missile.
The integration of the air-to-air guided missile gives the helicopter aerial combat capability, allowing it to defend itself against airborne threats such as enemy attack helicopters and drones.
The MAH's primary mission is to escort marine utility helicopters and ensure the survivability of the Marine Corps' airborne assault forces. The aircraft is equipped with advanced systems, including a Target Acquisition and Designation Sight (TADS) capable of day-and-night target acquisition and tracking, as well as a Helmet Mounted Display (HMD).
System development of the MAH began in October 2022, and the helicopter completed its maiden flight in December 2024. DAPA plans to wrap up system development in August and begin mass production next year.
"By successfully integrating the air-to-air guided missile alongside the machine gun, rockets and air-to-ground guided missile, we have secured the core weapons system capabilities of the Marine Attack Helicopter," said Kim Kyung-ho, head of DAPA's helicopter program division.
