INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The cause behind a Heron reconnaissance drone crashing into a helicopter in South Korea last month was determined to be a gust of wind,
military officials announced.The South Korean Armys Central Accident Investigation Committee examined flight recordings, CCTV footage and
other data and discovered that the Heron unmanned aerial lorry (UAV) experienced an unexpected updraft throughout an emergency situation
automatic landing.While attempting an emergency situation landing, the airplane dramatically rose due to an initial gust, an Army
Just before touching down, a 2nd gust and crosswinds contributed to the incident.The crash took place at roughly 1:05 p.m
on March 17 when the drone, assigned to an Army aviation battalion in Seogu-ri, Gwangjeok-myeon, Yangju, veered right while landing and
collided with a Surion utility helicopter (KUH-1) parked on the runway
A fire broke out and ruined both aircraft
Though extinguished within 20 minutes, the blaze was sustained by onboard aviation fuel.The Army convened a 20-member investigation
committee on the day of the accident, led by the Armys deputy chief of intelligence and consisting of professionals from the Agency for
Defense Development and Defense Agency for Technology and Quality.The committee discovered no evidence of human error, devices breakdown,
maintenance failure or lax discipline.The findings were reported Wednesday to acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho
To avoid future occurrences, the Army plans to expedite the installation of ground-level wind shear alert systems at the impacted battalion
Authorities also mean to install safeguard to keep UAVs from entering helicopter parking areas at military airfields.The crashed drone was a
Heron, an Israeli-made medium-altitude reconnaissance UAV with a wingspan of 16.6 meters (54.4 feet), a length of 8.5 meters and a leading
speed of 207 kilometers per hour (128.6 miles per hour)
It can performing monitoring from an altitude of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and expenses around 3 billion won ($2.2 million) per system
South Korea acquired 3 Herons and a ground control system in 2016 for around 40 billion won.Of the three Herons owned by military, one
crashed near Yangju in November 2024 after thought GPS jamming by North Korea
Another has been grounded due to a key part maintenance concern
With the most recent event, all 3 Herons are now out of service, most likely impacting monitoring over the northwestern islands and the
higher Seoul area.The ruined Surion helicopter, a locally produced utility airplane, was estimated to cost around 20 billion won.Source:
