A South Korean military helicopter was destroyed by fire on March 17, 2025, after being struck by a military drone during landing at an airfield in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province.
This incident was reported by The Korea Herald.
The collision occurred around 1:00 p.m. when an Israeli-made Heron reconnaissance drone collided with a KUH-1 Surion multi-role helicopter, which was parked and fully fueled at the time. The crash triggered a fire that completely consumed both aircraft.
The blaze was extinguished within 20 minutes, and no injuries were reported, the Army Ground Operations Command confirmed.
The event took place at the 209th Aviation Battalion of the 11th Aviation Group, under the 1st Corps.
Military authorities have ruled out any involvement by North Korea, attributing the crash to an internal operational failure.
An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the drone’s misdirected landing and whether protocols and safety checks were adequately followed.
This isn’t the first time the Heron UAV has been involved in an accident.
Similar landing-related incidents were reported in 2018 and 2024, both of which also resulted in equipment damage.
Despite these previous events, it remains unclear whether corrective safety measures were taken before the Heron was reintroduced into active use.
The Heron, manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), is widely used for surveillance and reconnaissance missions but requires precise operational oversight.
Second Military Mishap in Under Two Weeks
The drone crash comes just 11 days after another major blunder during joint U.S.–South Korean military exercises.
On March 6, KF-16 fighter jets from the South Korean Air Force accidentally dropped eight Mk82 bombs on the city of Pocheon, missing their intended target—an adjacent training ground.
The incident left seven buildings damaged, including a church, and injured seven civilians, four of them seriously.
An investigation attributed the accident to pilot error, involving incorrect coordinates and a failure to follow standard flight checks. Both pilots have been formally charged with professional negligence resulting in injury by the military prosecutor’s office.
Together, these two incidents have intensified scrutiny on the South Korean military’s operational safety, particularly concerning unmanned systems and live-fire exercises conducted near civilian areas.
Defense analysts say the accidents point to deeper systemic issues, including inadequate coordination, lax safety procedures, and outdated or under-reviewed training protocols.
“This wasn’t just a one-off accident. It's part of a troubling pattern,” a defense expert told The Korea Herald.
