Airbus Helicopters and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) have signed an agreement for the start of series production of the Light Armed Helicopter (LAH). KAI was contracted by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration of Korea in December 2022 to deliver a first batch of ten LAH. Deliveries will begin at the end of 2024, with subsequent orders extending into the next decade. This involves the production of up to 300 aircraft over ten years to replace Korea’s MD-500 Defender and AH-1S Cobra.
With this agreement, Airbus Helicopters and KAI are entering the next phase of the program, where production of the LAH will be ramped up at KAI’s facility in Sacheon, South Korea. The LAH prototype completed its maiden flight in July 2019 and was successfully qualified for all-weather combat capability in 2022 after completing a test campaign. Airbus Helicopters will support KAI in order fulfillment by supplying the kits required for mass production.
This follows the recent launch of the joint development of new KUH variants, such as the naval attack helicopter and the mine countermeasure helicopter, as well as the corresponding future versions.
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