South Korea Grounds 47 Attack Helicopters After Routine Inspections Find Engine Corrosion

South Korea's military suspended flights of LAH-1 Miron helicopters after corrosion was discovered in their engines, according to Rep. Kang Sun-young of the opposition People Power Party. The defense procurement agency found corrosion in the engines of 47 out of 57 Miron helicopters during April inspections and immediately suspended operations of the affected aircraft.

Cracks, possibly caused by the corrosion, were also identified in the engines of 38 helicopters. The defects appeared in the diffusers, components that stabilize airflow inside the engines, and may have developed during the assembly process, officials said. Hanwha Aerospace Co.

Assembled and supplied the helicopters to the military. A. Hanwha Aerospace stated its assembly process is "in line with" the original manufacturer's requirements and noted that it was not mandated to seek further approval from Safran.

The LAH-1 Miron was introduced to replace aging 500MD and AH-1S Cobra single-engine attack helicopters. The military plans to have approximately 160 Miron helicopters operational by 2031. The defense procurement agency said it will inspect and improve its quality management systems following the incident.