Northrop Grumman press release
Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract by Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd. (KAI) to provide Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) solutions and technical support for the Engineering, Manufacturing and Design (EMD) phase of the Republic of Korea’s Korean Mine Countermeasures Helicopter (KMCH) program. The EMD phase is expected to be completed in 2027.
“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,” said Janice Zilch, vice president, multi-domain command and control (MDC2) programs, Northrop Grumman.
“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. The program will also enhance our strategic partnership with Northrop Grumman in the defense domain,” said Chang-heon Han, executive vice president, rotary wing division, Korea Aerospace Industries.
ALMDS is capable of untethered day or night operations, which allow it to attain high area search rates. ALMDS also provides accurate target geo-location to support follow-on neutralization of the detected mines.
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Naval News comments:
The ROK Navy issued in 2019 a requirement for the acquisition of 10 helicopter-based mine countermeasure systems. KAI with the Surion MCH, Lockheed Martin MH-60 and AgustaWestland AW101 were competing and KAI came out as the winner.
KAI’s Surion MCH will deploy three major systems: the Northrop Grumman Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS), an Airborne Mine Neutralization System (AMNS) and an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). All three systems are operated from an integrated mission console.
ALMDS is in use with the US Navy aboard MH-60. Japan purchased four systems in 2011 for use on the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force MCH-101 helicopters.
