Iraq discusses buying Korean Defence Helicopters
By John Lee.
Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet Mohammed has discussed expanding cooperation with South Korea on air and mobile defense systems, including the Korean Utility Helicopter (KUH-1), also known as 'Surion'.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the IQDEX 2025 International Defense Exhibition , held in Baghdad from 19th to 22nd of April.
Korean companies attending the exhibition included Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI), LIG Nex1, and Hyundai Rotem.
Full statement from South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA):
The Defense Business Administration participated in the 'IQDEX 2025 (International Defense Exhibition Iraq) held in Baghdad from April 19th to 22nd, and carried out activities to promote K-defense exports.
IQDEX is one of the international defense exhibitions involving defense officials and global defense companies from major Middle Eastern countries, including Iraq. This year, Korean Aerospace Industries Co., Ltd., LIGnex One, Hyundai Rotem, and other domestic defense companies participated in the exhibition to actively promote the technology and reliability of K-Defense in the local area. In particular, institutions such as the Korean Embassy (Ambassador Choi Sung-soo) and the Korea Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) have also provided a full-scale support for the promotion of defense exports. The Defense Business Administration attended the exhibition with the head of the helicopter business (Army Brigadier General (Jin) Ko Hyung-seok), and during a high-level interview with the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, the Defense Business Administration discussed in-depth cooperation measures for the export of mobile and air defense weapons systems that Iraq is interested in, including the Korean mobile helicopter Surion (KUH).
The Defense Business Administration met with Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet Mohammed and expressed its willingness to actively work to further develop the rapidly expanding defense cooperation between the two countries in recent years. In response, Defense Minister Tabet expressed his high confidence in the Korean defense sector and emphasized the need for bilateral cooperation to promote defense cooperation. The meeting is expected to be an important step towards a subsequent expansion of exports.
Together with our defense companies, the Defense Business Administration has actively introduced the performance and operation experience of various weapons systems that Iraq shows interest in, such as manoeuvre and air defense weapons systems, and has tried to expand the scope of defense cooperation between the two countries and strengthen the foundation for K-Defense's entry into the Middle East market.
The head of the Heliang Business Administration (Jin), said, "Through this participation in IQDEX 2025, we were able to further strengthen our defense cooperation with Iraq and actively promote the excellence of K-defense, including Surion and LAH, and continue to support the global market expansion of domestic defense companies through active support from the government level."
The Defense Business Administration will continue to actively explore the possibility of defense cooperation with countries in the Middle East, including Iraq, and continue its efforts to improve the global competitiveness of K-Defense.
(Source: Defense Acquisition Program Administration)
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