Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has signed two additional contracts to deliver Surion multirole helicopters to South Korean government agencies, further expanding the platform’s role in public safety, disaster response, and maritime security operations.
According to K-Defense News, KAI concluded separate agreements on December 15 and December 17 to supply one Surion helicopter each to the Korea Coast Guard and the National Park Service. With these latest deals, KAI has secured contracts for seven government-operated helicopters in 2025 alone.
The contract awarded by the Korea Coast Guard is valued at approximately KRW 38.5 billion (around USD 28.5 million), while the National Park Service contract is worth about KRW 32.8 billion (roughly USD 24.3 million). Both agreements cover the helicopter itself, spare parts, ground support equipment, and comprehensive training for pilots and maintenance crews.
The Surion helicopter ordered by the Korea Coast Guard will be fitted with specialized maritime mission systems to support surveillance and search-and-rescue tasks. These include a maritime search radar, advanced electro-optical and infrared sensors, and an Automatic Identification System (AIS). This configuration is designed to enhance coastal monitoring, improve rescue coverage, and enable effective night-time operations along South Korea’s maritime borders.
The helicopter designated for the National Park Service will be optimized for disaster response, particularly wildfire suppression. It will feature a newly developed firefighting water tank with a capacity exceeding 2.5 tons, enabling rapid aerial firefighting in mountainous and hard-to-access terrain where ground-based efforts are often constrained.
With these new contracts, KAI has now signed agreements to supply a total of 42 Surion helicopters to South Korean government agencies. Operators include the national police, coast guard, forestry service, fire services, and the National Park Service. Of these aircraft, 28 have already been delivered and are currently in active operational service.
Since its initial introduction into service with the Korean National Police Agency in 2013, the Surion has steadily replaced foreign-built helicopters in South Korea’s public-service aviation fleet. Officials have highlighted its all-weather, day-and-night operational capability as a major factor behind its widespread adoption.
South Korean authorities have noted the Surion’s strong performance during real-world missions, including night-time wildfire suppression operations. High aircraft availability rates and the benefits of domestic maintenance and logistics support have been credited with helping contain fires during their early stages.
KAI’s domestic success with the Surion is now generating growing international interest. In 2024, the company signed a contract with Iraq’s Ministry of Interior to deliver two firefighting-configured Surion helicopters. These aircraft were delivered in October and are currently undergoing operational flights and integration into Iraqi service.
According to K-Defense News, the Surion’s deployment in Iraq has attracted attention from neighboring countries as the helicopters move closer to full operational capability. KAI is actively promoting the Surion as a flexible multirole platform suitable for public safety, disaster response, internal security, and military missions.
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