South Korea selects US defense firm to provide Airborne Laser Mine Detection System

Asia-Pacific, News, US October 17, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

South Korean aerospace and defense firm Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) expanded its strategic partnership with U.S. defense manufacturer Northrop Grumman. The KAI awarded Northrop Grumman a contract to provide Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS).

The KAI selected Northrop Grumman to deliver ALMDS solutions and technical support for the Engineering, Manufacturing, and Design phase of South Korea’s Korean Mine Countermeasures Helicopter program.

According to the Northrop Grumman statement, the ALMDS is capable of “untethered day or night operations, which allow it to attain high area search rates”.

The system also offers accurate target geo-location to support follow-on neutralization of the detected mines. The Engineering, Manufacturing, and Design phase of the program is expected to be completed in the year 2027.

Vice president of multi-domain command and control (MDC2) programs at Northrop Grumman, Janice Zilch said, “Our strategic partnership with KAI to bring ALMDS technology to the KMCH program builds on our decades of commitment to deliver advanced solutions that support the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of National Defense.”

Northrop Grumman ALMDS — *^{Northrop Grumman’s self-contained design allows ALMDS to be installed on several aircraft types. (Image Credit: U.S. Navy/via Northrop Grumman)}*

Korea Aerospace Industries’ executive vice president of the rotary wing division, Chang-heon Han stated that the program will enhance the strategic partnership between South Korean and the United States firms in the defense domain.

“The mission of ALMDS is to detect, classify, and localize floating and near-surface moored mines rapidly. KAI is convinced that the ALMDS integration will make a significant improvement to the Republic of Korea’s Navy mine detection capabilities,” Chang-heon said.

According to the KAI, the Mine Countermeasure Helicopter is a medium-class helicopter derived from the Marine Utility Helicopter. It is equipped with multiple mine countermeasure systems and is fully mission-capable in detecting and neutralizing naval mine threats and securing critical sea lines and harbors. In addition, the helicopter can also be used for secondary missions such as naval combat support tasks.