Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has contracted Northrop Grumman to deliver Airborne Laser Mine Detection Systems (ALMDS) for South Korea’s mine countermeasures helicopter program.
The ALMDS pulses laser beams to scan the sea surface, near-surface, and underwater for potential explosive threats.
The system is deployable day and night, identifying adversarial mines through high-area searches.
Furthermore, the technology’s accurate geo-location is beneficial for follow-on neutralization after mines are classified.
KAI Rotary Wing VP Chang-Heon Han highlighted the benefits of ALMDS to South Korea’s upcoming rotary-wing assets.
“The mission of ALMDS is to detect, classify and localize floating and near-surface moored mines rapidly,” Han explained.
“KAI is convinced that the ALMDS integration will make a significant improvement to the Republic of Korea’s Navy mine detection capabilities.”
Retaining Strategic Partnership
The ALMDS will be used for the program’s engineering, manufacturing, and design phase.
Related work for this phase is expected to be finalized by 2027.
Once complete, the future medium-sized utility rotorcraft fleet will be used for maritime anti-mine operations as well as naval combat support tasks.
“Our strategic partnership with KAI… builds on our decades of commitment to deliver advanced solutions that support the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of National Defense,” Northrop Grumman Multi-Domain Command and Control VP Janice Zilch stated.