[Military Story] Marine Corps Operates Amphibious Attack Helicopters Following Marineon

Operational Deployment of Over 20 Marine On Helicopters in June Last Year
Amphibious Attack Helicopter Scheduled for First Flight in December This Year

Marine Corps amphibious operations in various countries have changed the course of wars. During World War II, the Normandy landing operation allowed the Allied forces to reclaim Europe. The Incheon landing operation during the Korean War turned the tide of battle. The core of amphibious operations, a tactic that infiltrates enemy territory from the sea to cut the enemy’s center, is the Marine Corps.

MarinON is a compound name combining the Korean utility helicopter (KUH-1) 'Surion' (SURION) and 'Marine' (MARINE), which refers to the Marine Corps.

The Marine Corps is now taking to the skies. The Marine Corps originally had its own aviation unit. In 1958, the Marine Corps established an aviation observation unit with two U-6 reconnaissance aircraft and six O-1 reconnaissance aircraft, operating an air force focused on reconnaissance planes. The aviation unit, which was once part of the Cheongryong Unit, recorded over 450 flights totaling 1,537 hours during the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1971. After the Marine Corps Command was disbanded in 1973, 125 aviation personnel and 23 aircraft were absorbed into the Navy Aviation Corps. After the Marine Corps Command was reestablished in 1987, it began producing Marine Corps pilots in 2008 and reestablished the Marine Corps aviation branch in 2014. Subsequently, in 2021, 48 years after its disbandment, the aviation group was created.

The Marine Corps Aviation Group consists of three flying battalions?two assault helicopter battalions and one attack helicopter battalion?along with a control unit and maintenance unit. It performs various missions such as amphibious operations during wartime, defense of national strategic islands, rapid response operations, and disaster relief support. In June last year, over 20 amphibious assault helicopters called ‘MARINEON’ were commissioned to quickly transport landing forces by air. With the commissioning of MARINEON, rapid infiltration from the sea to the ground is now possible through the air as well. The name MARINEON is a combination of the Korean utility helicopter (KUH-1) ‘SURION’ and ‘MARINE,’ representing the Marine Corps.

MARINEON is equipped to operate both on land and at sea, featuring a folding main rotor (helicopter rotor blade) added to the SURION and seawater corrosion protection applied to the airframe. It also includes a windshield washer system to remove foreign substances during flight, long-range communication radios, tactical air navigation equipment, and auxiliary fuel tanks. Its flight time exceeds two hours, with a maximum cruising speed of 265 km/h. It is armed with two 7.62 mm machine guns and can carry up to nine personnel.

In July last year, MARINEON participated in overseas training for the first time. It took part in the multinational joint exercise ‘Talisman Saber’ held in northeastern Australia. This was the first time a domestically produced utility helicopter flew over foreign airspace. At that time, two MARINEON helicopters were transported aboard the large transport ship Marado (14,500 tons class). The Marado can carry up to about 10 helicopters. MARINEON was tasked primarily with transporting landing forces among Marine Corps battalion-level troops.

In the future, an amphibious attack helicopter (MAH) will be added. Approximately 450 billion KRW has been invested in the MAH system development project through 2026. Ground testing began this month, with the first test flight scheduled for December. From next year, the project will enter full-scale development, aiming to complete system development by the second half of 2026 and establish one flying battalion of 24 units through commissioning. The MAH will provide cover when the Marine Corps MARINEON amphibious assault helicopter (MUH-1) raids enemy territory and will perform fire support missions upon request from ground units. With the introduction of attack helicopters that protect landing forces from the air, the ‘New Marine’ will have both wings. The MAH is designed by incorporating the armament technology of the domestically produced light armed helicopter (LAH) and meets all required performance criteria such as mobility, firepower, and survivability demanded by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the military.