The Republic of Korea Army has halted military flight operations involving LAH-1 Mirons following issues discovered in 82 percent of the light armed helicopters’ propulsion systems.
Boroscope inspections under Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) recorded corrosion in 47 of the 57 engines locally assembled and delivered by Hanwha Aerospace, according to local media.
Hairline cracks associated with the damage were also found in 38 of the rotary-wing aircraft.
The defense procurement agency noted that French manufacturer Safran, which developed the Miron engines, failed to detect the issue during quality assurance.
DAPA specified that the breakdown was traced to “abnormalities in the diffuser” following Hanwha’s shift in the propulsion’s manufacturing process.
Diffusers are aerodynamic components that normalize airflow for gunships during flight.
Following the incident, DAPA emphasized that it will implement tighter screening approaches for acquired equipment.
160 Aircraft by 2031
South Korea’s LAH-1 Miron was modeled after the Airbus H155 medium-lift transport system, adapting a proven logistics capability for its army.
The rotorcraft is equipped with two HAS-Arriel 2L2 engines with an approximate output of 1,030 horsepower each, enabling speeds past 130 knots (150 miles/241 kilometers per hour), a range of over 500 nautical miles (575 miles/926 kilometers), and an altitude of 15,000 feet (4,572 meters).
Miron replaces the military’s MD 500 and Bell AH-1S Cobra single-engine fleets commissioned in the 1980s.
Through 2031, about 160 of the new helicopters are expected to be admitted into service, with a total investment of 5.75 trillion won ($3.8 billion).
