- Establishment of Korea's Only Specialized Rotary-Wing Blade Maintenance System
- Completion of Performance Enhancement for UH-60 Fire Attack System (FAS)
UI Helicopter, a leading domestic rotary-wing aircraft specialist (CEO Lim Seongeui), announced that it successfully concluded its participation at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition 2025, held at KINTEX from October 20 to 24.
At this exhibition, UI Helicopter shared its recent achievements in enhancing the maintenance capabilities for UH-60 helicopter blades and improving the performance of its Fire Attack System (FAS) for firefighting. The company emphasized its contribution to advancing the technological capabilities of the domestic aviation MRO industry and strengthening the foundation for localization.
Maintenance of UH-60 blades had long been highly dependent on overseas providers. However, UI Helicopter began development in 2019 and succeeded in establishing domestic maintenance capabilities by 2022, earning certification from the Ministry of National Defense. To date, the company has successfully maintained and delivered over 100 blades, securing the ability to independently perform the entire maintenance process, including Cuff Assembly replacement, composite repairs, precision static balancing, and blade load testing.
As a result, UI Helicopter has established itself as a specialized company with global competitiveness, capable of maintaining blades for Bell, Leonardo, and Sikorsky helicopters. In addition, UI Helicopter has completed a performance improvement project for the Fire Attack System (FAS) used on UH-60 helicopters operated by the Army, as part of efforts to maximize existing operational capabilities.
The newly improved FAS features an inner tank system with a large capacity of 3,200 liters, allowing for attachment and detachment within approximately 30 minutes and full water tank replenishment within a few minutes, enabling rapid firefighting operations.
Lim Seongeui, CEO of UI Helicopter, stated, "Firefighting equipment is an essential asset for disaster response in our country, and this achievement is significant as it elevates our aerial firefighting capabilities through domestic technology. Moving forward, we will continue to strengthen national capabilities in aviation safety and disaster response, and I would like to emphasize the need to further expand the application of these improvements to all UH-60 helicopters currently in operation."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
