Visits by Iraqi officials fuel talk of impending helicopter, missile sales

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)'s KUH-1 Surion helicopter [KAI]

Iraqi military officials visited Korea last week to inspect a domestically developed helicopter, fueling speculation that the country will purchase aircraft.

Lt. Gen. Samir Zaki Hussein Al-Maliki, commander of Iraq's Army Aviation Command, came to Korea last Monday and met with Korean military and defense company officials, local media outlets said Wednesday, citing sources from the defense industry and relevant authorities.

The senior Iraqi Army general reportedly rode the domestically developed chopper KUH-1 Surion helicopter on his way to the headquarters of its developer, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), in Sacheon. KUH stands for Korean Utility Helicopter.

The general also inspected the KUH-1CG, a variant of Surion.

Surion, developed by KAI and the Agency for Defense Development in 2006, is the first homegrown utility helicopter. The Korean Army has used it as a utility helicopter and an air ambulance since 2012.

During his four-day visit last week, the general also paid a courtesy visit to the Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik.

Iraqi Air Defense Command Commander Mohanad Ghalib Mohammed also visited Korea last week and learned about Cheongung-II missile defense systems, which two countries from the Middle Eastern countries already purchased.

The Cheongung-II is a domestically developed medium-range surface-to-air missile (M-SAM) system designed to intercept ballistic missiles at an altitude of between 15 and 40 kilometers (9.3 to 24.9 miles).

Saudi Arabia bought the missile defense systems in a $3.2 billion deal in February. In 2022, the United Arab Emirates signed a contract worth 4.29 trillion won ($3.2 billion) for the Cheongung-II system.

Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet Muhammad Al-Abasi is expected to visit Korea on Sunday to discuss further a potential deal between the two countries.

Meanwhile, a senior Saudi Arabian defense official was set to arrive in Korea on Wednesday for a three-day visit to examine major domestically developed weapons systems.

During his visit this week, Talal bin Abdullah Al-Otaibi, Saudi Arabia's assistant minister of defense, is expected to inspect multiple defense products, including the KF-21 advanced multirole fighter jet, Cheongung-II and the 3,000-ton Dosan Ahn Changho submarine.

The visit came after the Korean defense minister traveled to Riyadh last month to enhance cooperation and explain Seoul's plans for the KF-21 fighter jet project.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]