Airbus Helicopters and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) have delivered the first Light Civil Helicopter (LCH) to a local operator, Gloria Aviation, following certification in September 2022. The helicopter will be deployed to support critical life-saving missions in Jeju.
Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, said: “KAI has been a long-time partner to Airbus on several strategic helicopter development programs. We are happy to celebrate this first LCH delivery which will, with the upcoming LAH qualification, kick-start a new chapter for our partnership as we enter the serial production phase. We are also pleased to take our partnership a step further to prepare for the development of new variants that do not just meet the operational requirements of the end-user, but one that would bring tremendous technical and economic benefits to the local aerospace industry for years to come.”
Building on the successful completion of the LAH development, Airbus and KAI are preparing new joint development programs. These helicopter programs will leverage Airbus’ technical know-how in the field of helicopter drive systems and flight control systems while tapping into KAI’s established local industrialisation expertise in the country.