On Tuesday, June 24, 2025, South Korean company Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) announced that it had conducted the maiden flight of the prototype Mine Countermeasures Helicopter (MCH) variant of the MUH-1 Marineon amphibious helicopter.
Photos: KAI
The flight took place on June 16 of this year at the Helicopter Flight Center in Jinju, near Gasan, in South Gyeongsang Province. It joins the prototype of the XMAH-1 naval attack helicopter—which had its maiden flight on December 17, 2024, developed under the MAH (Marine Attack Helicopter) program for the Republic of Korea Marine Corps (Daehanminguk Haebyeongdae). Both helicopters are derived from the MUH-1 Marineon multirole naval helicopter, itself a variant of the KUH-1 Surion, and incorporate technologies developed under the LAH (Light Attack Helicopter) program.
Tuesday’s ceremony was attended by more than 100 officials from key organizations, including the Commander of the Republic of Korea Navy’s Aviation Branch (Daehanminguk Haegun), the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), and aviation airworthiness authorities. The helicopter also conducted an additional flight, this time equipped with the modular ALMDS (Airborne Laser Mine Detection System) developed by U.S. company Northrop Grumman.
The contract for the development of the specialized mine countermeasures variant of the MUH-1 was signed between KAI and DAPA (Defense Acquisition Program Administration) under the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea on December 27, 2022. Valued at 345 billion KRW, the program is scheduled to last 47 months.
The current goal is to complete the development program by the second half of 2026, which would make South Korea the third country—after the United States (Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragon and MH-60S Seahawk) and Italy (AgustaWestland MH-101A), to have developed a dedicated mine countermeasures helicopter. As KAI emphasizes, this achievement demonstrates that domestic technology is contributing to the enhancement of the Republic of Korea’s naval aviation capabilities.
A flight testing campaign is now planned, after which the helicopter will undergo certification and be delivered to the customer. In the future, the new rotorcraft will be deployed to a mine countermeasures helicopter battalion, boosting the Republic of Korea Navy’s ability to respond to mine-related threats and complementing traditional minehunters and minesweepers.
As KAI emphasizes, the MCH helicopter equipped with the ALMDS system will be capable of detecting, classifying, and tracking objects near the sea surface, while the helicopter platform itself will enable faster response and enhanced safety. For mine neutralization, the helicopter will carry autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and an Airborne Mine Neutralization System (AMNS) using sonar-based technology.
A KAI representative present at Tuesday’s ceremony stated:
“Since the successful development of the Surion, we have continued working on various derivative helicopters, and through the development of the mine countermeasures helicopter, we have proven that our domestic rotorcraft technology is on par with global standards. We will continue to carry out the remaining development schedule without delays, contributing to the strengthening of Naval Aviation and working to establish the MCH as a new export platform for Korea’s defense industry.”