MD 500 flies totally unmanned in South Korea

摘要

Korean Air announced that an unmanned version of the MD 500 scout helicopter achieved its maiden flight on 30 July. The aircraft was originally known under company nomenclature as the KUS-VH, where 'VH' stands for Vertical Helicopter, and latterly as the KUS-10. The maiden flight occurred at the Daejeon facility of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). Korean Air's Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD) described it as having excellent performance and safety, even though the prototype only hovered about 33ft above the ground for a period of 30min.