A South Korean army helicopter was destroyed when an unmanned air vehicle crashed into it while attempting to land. The accident occurred on 17 March at an army base in Yangju, when the Israel Aerospace Industries Heron UAV crashed into a Korea Aerospace Industries KUH-1 Surion utility helicopter.
According to the Army Ground Operations Command, around 1 p.m. Monday at a military airfield in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, a military drone collided with a parked helicopter during landing, sparking a fire.
“There were no casualties from the fire,” the command said, adding that the cause of the incident and the full extent of the damage are under investigation. The fire was extinguished in about 20 minutes.
The Army dismissed the possibility of North Korean involvement in the incident, such as electronic jamming.
The helicopter was identified as a KUH-1 Surion, valued at 18.5 billion won ($14 million), while the drone was identified as a Heron, an Israeli-made reconnaissance uncrewed aerial vehicle, according to military sources.
The helicopter was fully fueled at the time, and both aircraft were completely destroyed in the blaze.
The Heron, which measures 8.5 meters in length and 16.6 meters in wingspan, is a medium-altitude UAV capable of monitoring ground targets from an altitude of 10 kilometers. The South Korean military adopted the drone in 2013 at a cost of 3 billion won ($2 million) per unit.
Photo: Kyeonggi Ilbo
The unit believed to be involved — based on the location of the incident — is the 209th Aviation Battalion under the 11th Aviation Group of the 1st Corps, which was established in 2018. The 11th Aviation Group initially operated KUH-1 helicopters but has since expanded its operations to include UAVs.
The Heron was involved in similar incidents while attempting to land in 2018 and 2024, with the military at the time also denying any external interference. However, given these past incidents, it remains unclear whether the Army conducted sufficient safety checks before deploying the drone.
The Army has yet to disclose who was operating the drone at the time of the crash. Currently, officers, non-commissioned officers, and enlisted personnel are all authorized to operate uncrewed aerial vehicles.
The incident came just 11 days after two South Korean Air Force KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly dropped bombs on a civilian area during the Freedom Shield exercise, an annual joint military drill with the United States, leaving 29 people injured.
The pilots responsible for the bombing had entered incorrect coordinates and failed to follow in-flight verification procedures.
Both pilots have been charged by military prosecutors with professional negligence resulting in injury.
Top Photo: Helicopter wreckage smolders after a military drone hit it at an Army aviation base in Gwangjeok-myeon, Yangju, Gyeonggi Province (Newsis)
Source: The Korea Herald