South Korean MCM Helicopter Prototype Takes To The Skies

The MCH mine-sweeping rotary-wing platform has recently taken to the air for the first time. Image: KAI

26/06/2025

A prototype Mine Countermeasures Helicopter (MCH) being produced for the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has made its maiden flight.

As per a recent KAI press statement, the new airframe, which is scheduled to be fully developed towards the end of 2026, took flight for the first time last Monday.

A ceremony to celebrate the milestone was held on Tuesday at the firm’s Sacheon headquarters in South Gyeongsang Province, where an MCH demonstration flight equipped with an Aligned Laser Minesweeping System (ALMDS) was staged.

Those attending included the head of Naval Aviation Command and representatives from DAPA (Defence Acquisition Programme Administration), the national procurement agency.

Development of the MCH began back in December 2022; it is an evolution of KAI’s existing Marineon transport platform, itself a marine version of the Surion helicopter used by South Korean land forces.

As per the statement, the MCH also carries “cutting-edge mission equipment” including an altimeter mine detection system, an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), and an unmanned mine disposal system for sea mine clearance.

Media reports suggest the MCH is utilising BAE Systems’ Archerfish disposal system and Teledyne Marine’s Gavia AUV as a stopgap measure while domestic capabilities are being developed.

The MCH will now begin a full programme of flight tests to facilitate future plans to establish an ROKN mine-sweeping helicopter battalion, and with a few to potential future export sales of the platform.

The KAI statement noted: “When the Navy establishes a minesweeping helicopter battalion in the future and the MCH is put into full-scale missions, the Navy’s mine threat response capabilities and independent operation capabilities, which previously required minesweeping ships to conduct operations alone, are expected to be significantly improved.

“Minesweeping helicopters are more manoeuvrable than minesweeping ships in mine operations and can detect and remove shallow mines that are difficult for ships to approach.”