84 // September 2019 #378 http://www.airforcesmonthly.comAFMthe Dokdo class is unsuitable for
F-35 operations. Thus, it remains
to be seen if these ships undergo
extensive modifications or a new,
larger design of LPH is built.Helicopters and UAVs
needed too
The ROKN also needs a
replacement for the elderly Alouette
III helicopter in the training role.Therefore, in late November last
year, DAPA revived its 2015 THX
project to procure a ‘basic flight
training helicopter’ for the ROK
Army and Navy. While numbers
have not been disclosed, 2015
plans called for ten THX helicopters
for the navy and 30 for the army.
Yet another project is one for at
least eight airborne minesweeping
helicopters, but its status is
unclear. As far back as 2009,
the ROKN was interested in
acquiring eight MH-60S with a
suite of mine countermeasures
(MCM) equipment from the US,
but nothing definite materialised- at least in the public domain.
Last October, Korea Aerospace
Industries (KAI) promoted an
airborne mine countermeasures
variant of the Surion at the MADEX
2018 exhibition. The Surion-based
system comprises an airborne
laser mine detection system,
an airborne mine neutralisation
system and an autonomous
underwater vehicle (AUV) which
would be fitted to two or more
helicopters working in tandem.
In addition, the service is likely to
introduce unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs) – both land and ship-based
types – at some point in the future.
Potential types include the 441lb
(200kg) KUS-VT tiltrotor from Korea
Aerospace Research Institute
(KARI), which has been tested at
sea aboard Korea Coast Guard
vessels, and the newly unveiled
1,323lb-class (600kg) NI-600VT
helicopter drone from KAI.
All in all, ROKN plans call
for upgrading Air Wing 6 to
a fully fledged naval aviation
command with around 100
aircraft by 2024 and possibly as
many as 200 aircraft by 2030,
subject to funding availability.
ROK Marine Corps
The ROK Marine Corps (ROKMC)
is technically a part of the ROK
Navy, although it was once a
separate service. The ROK Marines
have a long history of operating
aircraft, starting with the creation
of an aviation unit with two U-6
(DHC-2 Beaver) utility aircraft and
six O-1 reconnaissance aircraft
on March 1, 1958 at Geumchon
airfield in Paju-gun, northwest
of Seoul. This unit supported
the 1st Marine Division.
Between 1965 and 1971,
the ROKMC saw action in
Vietnam during which time its
air unit carried out 450 missions
performing reconnaissance and
observation, ground attack,psy-ops and other roles – flying
1,537 hours in the process.
By July 1, 1971 the aviation
unit was operating 23 aircraft
comprising four U-6 Beavers,
12 O-1 Bird Dogs and seven
OH-23 helicopters. However, in
October 1973, the ROKMC was
disbanded and integrated into the
ROK Navy, and its aviation assets- 23 aircraft and 125 personnel
- were similarly absorbed.
Though the ROKMC was
re-established as a separate
service in March 1987, it would
take another two decades
before an aviation unit would be
established again. By 2007, it
was decided to create an aviation
unit with ten to 15 pilots who
would operate ROKN-owned
UH-1H helicopters. The first of
these pilots, Captain Park Sun-
Hyuk, completed his 14-month
flight training in 2008, earning
helicopter pilot certification from
the 609 Training School in April
that year and co-pilot certification
with the ROKMC 1st Division
Aviation Unit in August 2009.
The ROKMC finally obtained
approval to create its air arm on
September 12, 2014. Plans call
for an air group of 40 helicopters
to be acquired between 2017
and 2023. The air group would
comprise three squadrons – two
with assault rotorcraft and one
with attack helicopters – along
with maintenance, administrative
and other support units.
Thus, 30 marinised (navalised)
Surion armed troop transports
known as MUH-1 Marineon
have been ordered from KAI.
While delays have pushed back
the final delivery date from
2021 to 2023, the air group
is nevertheless expected to
become operational in 2021.
As of January 2018, there
were some 40 pilots and 40
maintainers in the marine aviation
unit. Currently, the two ROKMC
divisions – the 1st Marine Division
at Pohang and the 2nd at Gimpo –
each operate an aviation unit with
around two navy-owned UH-1Hs.
In addition, the recently created
Marine Helicopter Squadron 1
at Pohang operates the newly
inducted MUH-1 Marineon.
The south apron of Pohang
Airport houses the aviation base
for the 1st Marine Division, while
the 2nd is located around 16.5
miles (26.5km) northwest of
Gimpo Airport, approximately
four miles (6.5km) from the
North Korean border.
An AW159 Wildcat operates alongside the Incheon-class (FFX Batch 1) frigate
ROKS ‘Gwangju’ in July 2017. According to the navy, Wildcats can operate for
more than three hours if equipped with FLASH dipping sonar alone, two hours
equipped with dipping sonar and a single Blue Shark torpedo, or “over an
hour” fitted with dipping sonar and two torpedoes. ROK Navy/MNDForce
Report Republic of Korea Navy Part 2
KAI MUH-1 Marineon
The 62ft-long (19m), eight-ton class
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)
Surion, which was designed with the
help of Eurocopter (now Airbus), is
based on the AS532. Modifications to
the MUH-1 variant include a folding
rotor system, a flotation system, two
auxiliary fuel tanks and specialised
communication equipment including
a tactical air navigation system
(TACAN). The Marineon, whose
development began in July 2013
and lasted through January 2016,
first flew on January 19, 2015. After
extensive trials, the initial two MUH-1 helicopters were officially inducted into
service in January last year with Marine Helicopter Squadron 1 at Pohang.
By July 2018, a total of four MUH-1s had been delivered with another two
scheduled for delivery before the end of that year. However, disaster struck
on July 17 last year, when the second MUH-1, ‘Marineon 2’, serial 17002,
crashed shortly after take-off from Pohang – a rotor blade sheared off, followed
by detachment of the entire rotor head from the engine/gearbox assembly.
The resulting crash and fuel system fire killed five of six crew members.
After this crash, all 93 Surions in service with various military and government
agencies were grounded. Last December 21, Korean media reported that the
final investigation of a joint Airbus and Korean accident investigation board
concluded, as it had tentatively done in September 2018, that the crash was
caused by cracks in the rotor mast which had been subjected to the wrong
annealing (heat treatment) process by a French subcontractor of Airbus – Aubert
& Duval. In September, the investigators had said that similar cracks were
identified in three other rotor masts that had undergone the same manufacturing
process. At the time of the crash, local media reports citing industry sources
alleged that the crashed aircraft suffered from a history of unusual vibrations.
However, by last October 11, small numbers of grounded Surions operated
by the ROK Army had resumed “training and maintenance” flights after
undergoing detailed inspections of their rotor masts. By late December 2018,
local media reported that “several dozen” Surions had resumed operational
flying. But the entire fleet did not return to service until March this year, by
which time all the helicopters had undergone thorough inspections.
While the Marineon crash cast some doubts over the future of the MUH-1
project and another for an attack variant, it’s likely that KAI will continue to deliver
airframes after the appropriate process-related fixes have been put in place.Prototype XMUH-1 Marineon (serial
001) on a demonstration flight at
the Seoul Airshow last year. The
helicopter is based on the AS532,
itself an evolution of the earlier
Aérospatiale SA330 Puma design.80-84 ROKNPart AFM Sep2019.indd 84 8/5/2019 3:39:28 PM