Page 15 - ADT MAY-JUNE 2022 Online Magazine

will have more endurance than the Mi-17s, is attack aircraft.
being developed under the Special Purpose KAI’s decision to spend about $2.7 billion and build a transport
Vehicle (SPV) model, with domestic defence aircraft, potentially in partnership with international companies
companies working in tandem with the Defence already in the market, has been made keeping in view the demand
Research and Development Organisation in domestic as well as international markets. The country’s military
(DRDO) and other government organisations currently has about 60 transport aircraft, all built by international
to entities in design and development of the companies, with the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) oper- [ AIR SYSTEMS ]
platform. ating C-130s and CN-235s and the Navy using P-3Cs and P-8As
for maritime patrol missions. The company estimates that while

In Japan, Subaru Corporation is working on the there would be a domestic need for about 100 such aircraft in the
UH-2 twin-engine multirole helicopter, which is next three decades, there is a potential to sell an equal number to
which is based on the jointly developed Subaru international buyers over the period. Th company also has plans
Bell 412EPX commercial helicopter. The heli- to unveil a commercial version of the transport plane with a seat
copter, which features a Pratt & Whitney PT6T-9 capacity of 100.
Twin-Pac turboshaft engine and an integrated
glass cockpit, will enter service with the Japan
Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). In May Making Progress
this year, the company successfully conducted Russia is also investing in the sector. In August 2020, Russian
the first test flight of the rotorcraft; after the Helicopters showcased the upgraded MI-171SJ Storm military
first flight of the prototype in December 2018, transport helicopter. A year later, a prototype of Il-112V, the first
the company was awarded a contract to deliver military transport plane being built in Russia from scratch in the
the first six UH-2 helicopters by January 2023. post-Soviet period, was unveiled at Army 2021. The Il-112V, which
Seven more helicopters of the type will be deliv- has been under development by the Ilyushin Aircraft Company
ered to the service in 2024, with the delivery since 2014 and flew for the first time in March 2019, is expected
of another 13 scheduled for 2025. The UH-2, to eventually replace An-26 and An-24 turbo-prop planes as the
which features a four-bladed main rotor, is country works to renew its fleet of light military transport aircraft.
designed to transport heavier load, fly faster, Designed to carry up to 5 tonnes of cargo, the aircraft will trans-
and have a longer flight range than the UH-1J port personnel, military hardware, and armaments. According to
that it will replace. reports, the company is developing a version of the plane for civil
aviation as well, with serial production of both versions expected
Other countries are making their move. In to begin in 2023.
December last year, Ukrainian aircraft manu-
facturer Antonov State Enterprise unveiled the China, which has made rapid strides in its military capabilities over
An-178-100R military aircraft to transport weap- the last decade, is currently developing an armed, aerial refuel-
ons, personnel, and light military equipment. ing-capable variant of its Z-20 medium-lift utility helicopter. Made by
In May, Iran unveiled ‘Simorgh,’ a homegrown the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the
light military transport aircraft that has its pro- under-development aircraft shown in the company’s promotional
pulsion system, components and fuselage video has a pair of short wings, each carrying four missiles and
developed by domestic companies. Meanwhile, a multiple rocket launcher. Also reportedly on the anvil are vari-
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is working ous versions of the aircraft, including for vessel-based transport,
on the T625 Gökbey, the country's first indige- anti-submarine warfare, special operations, search and rescue, and
nous new generation utility helicopter. Korean medical support. The company is also considering extending the
Aircraft Industries (KAI) is interested in devel-
oping a medium-weight, twin-engine, multi-role
military transport plane.

In May last year, Korea Aerospace Industry (KAI)
released a promotional video showing comput-
er-generated imagery (CGI) of the aircraft the
company is proposing to develop for the South
Korean military as well as for export. The pro-
posed aircraft has a configuration similar to that
of Embraer’s KC-390, but its wings will have
hardpoints to accommodate different types of
guided munitions. While primarily designed for
military transport, the aircraft will be capable
of handling other roles, such as tanker aircraft,
maritime exploration and anti-submarine war-
fare platform, and long-range missile ground

ASIAN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY May/June 2022 | 15