Engine defects have recently been confirmed in the Army's Light Armed Helicopter (LAH), known as "Miron."
According to the office of Rep. Kang Sun-young of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee, corrosion was found in 47 of 57 Miron helicopter engines. Cracks were confirmed in 38 of the 57 engines. The Miron is a helicopter assembled and delivered by Hanwha Aerospace.
A total of 15 aircraft are equipped with the engines, all deployed at the Army Aviation School. Investigations found engine corrosion and cracks in most of the aircraft. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), which identified the engine problems in April, ordered a flight suspension last month for the aircraft already in service.
The defects are known to have originated in the "diffuser," a component that stabilizes airflow inside the engine. The cracks are presumed to have occurred because the process presented by French manufacturer Safran, which holds the original technology under Hanwha Aerospace, was not followed.
The Miron is a domestically produced helicopter introduced to fill the gap left by the aging 500MD and Cobra (AH-1S) attack helicopters. It is equipped with armaments including the "Cheongeom," a domestically produced air-to-ground guided missile. The military plans to deploy more than 160 units by 2031. However, a prolonged flight suspension could disrupt the deployment schedule. Pilot training that needs to be conducted at the Army Aviation School also faces inevitable delays.
"Engine defects go beyond reduced output during flight and, in the worst case, can lead to engine shutdown, a serious matter directly connected to the lives of our pilots," Rep. Kang said. "Timely deployment is important, but the complete resolution of defects that threaten pilot safety and the establishment of a reliable assembly process must take clear priority over any other justification."
