SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) --
South Korea's government on Monday tapped Korea Aerospace Industries
Ltd. (KAI) to develop a dedicated medical evacuation helicopter for its
troops based on the existing Surion.
The Defense Acquisition
Program Administration (DAPA) said it picked South Korea's sole aircraft
manufacturer and total systems integrator as the primary negotiating
partner for the project that will cost 32 billion won (US$31 million).
The development of the
new variant of the Surion, or Korea Utility Helicopter (KUH), will take
place up until 2016 with operational machines reaching troops the
following year, it said.
The choppers will be equipped with the latest equipment to treat wounded soldiers and transport them to hospital.
DAPA said the medevac
version of the KUH will have extra external fuel tanks, weather radar,
ground collision warning systems and a host of other features that will
allow it to be operated day or night, and in adverse weather conditions.
The chopper will have a
hoist and a so-called trunked radio system to maintain live
communication with the hospital to facilitate treatment on arrival. It
will also have the latest medical equipment on board such as a
respirator, vital signs monitor, facilities for emergency surgery, and
an automated external defibrillator.
"Once it reaches troops, the chopper will contribute to saving lives," the agency said.
It added that Seoul will
establish an airborne medical evacuation unit in 2015 that will use the
Surion medevac helicopters. The unit will use UH-60 choppers until the
newer models are ready.
KAI sources said that
some eight choppers may be delivered first, with more to follow in due
course. The specially configured helicopters, which can carry up to six
stretchers, will also be used in peacetime to evacuate injured civilians
living in isolated areas.
- Source: http://www.globalpost.com
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