KAI LAH-1 Miron

Korea Aerospace Industries · South Korea · first flew 2019 · helicopter

The LAH-1 Miron is a compact twin-engined armed helicopter developed by Korea Aerospace Industries with Airbus Helicopters. It is based on the Eurocopter EC155 and performs light attack, escort and reconnaissance roles.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, rotary
E — Engines	2 × turboshaft, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	14.3 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Slim armed helicopter derived from the EC155, with a new cockpit
Chin-mounted three-barrelled 20 mm cannon under a nose-mounted sensor package
Short stub wings with four hardpoints for rockets and missiles

A twin-engined attack helicopter with a crew of two, a chin cannon, a nose sensor turret and short stub wings carrying weapon pylons.

Specifications

The KAI LAH-1 Miron has a length of 14.3 m (47 ft).
It has a wingspan of 12.6 m (41 ft).
Its maximum speed is 243 km/h (151 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Under a 2015 agreement KAI took over EC155 production and used the type as the basis for the Light Armed Helicopter. The first prototype flew on 4 July 2019, followed by the second in December 2019, and cold-weather trials were flown in Canada in 2021 and 2022.

Variants

KAI has proposed a Light Utility Helicopter version for special forces with outboard benches, and an unmanned companion version. The armed version carries a 20 mm M197 cannon and a new fire-and-forget anti-tank missile.

Where you'll see it

It is intended to replace the MD 500 Defender and AH-1 Cobra helicopters of the South Korean Army. The first production aircraft was delivered in December 2024, when the name Miron was adopted.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 8,606 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.