South Korea wants to cancel Apache helicopter purchases because they are 'useless'

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South Korea's military leadership is set to reconsider a plan to purchase 36 Apache attack helicopters of the latest version (AH-64E) from the United States for a total of more than $3,4 billion. The "experience of the Ukrainian conflict" is cited as the basis for this decision, since multiple cases of attack helicopters being shot down during that conflict led military analysts to believe that they are "useless" on the modern battlefield.

The Department of National Defense, the Army, and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration have launched a comprehensive feasibility review of the purchase of 36 Apache attack helicopters, including a plan to reduce the number of units to be purchased. Military and defense industry officials are simultaneously reviewing the utility of attack helicopters in light of the development of unmanned weapons systems such as drones… In line with changes in modern warfare, the Army also intends to implement a plan to replace existing 81mm mortars with attack drones

– reports the largest South Korean newspaper, Chosun Ilbo.



Citing an unnamed “source in the military leadership,” the publication clarified:

At the very least, there is a strong feeling that the Army is unlikely to confirm the need to purchase the entire batch of 36 additional helicopters. Depending on how the discussions progress, there is a high probability that the decision to purchase them will be cancelled entirely.

The South Korean army already has 36 Apaches, which were delivered in 2017/18, and a decision was soon made to add the same number. This additional purchase was justified after the administration of the previous President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in approved the so-called new offensive operational plan. The new plan was to end the war in two weeks in the event of an emergency in relations with the DPRK, and one of the key elements was considered to be the massive use of helicopters to send special forces to Pyongyang. However, this project was practically abandoned, as the mood of support prevailed in the Moon Jae-in administration. policy "inter-Korean dialogue".

But by now the situation has changed, and not only in terms of a new round of tension on the Korean Peninsula. The impact of the conflict in Ukraine, which in terms of the intensity of military actions is quite comparable to a potential resumption of war between North and South Korea, has also had an effect. And so it has not gone unnoticed that in Ukraine attack helicopters were quite often shot down by attacks from portable missiles and sometimes even drones. The question was raised before official Seoul whether there was a need to spend an amount equal to 70% of the army's annual budget on purchasing new military equipment. equipment for the introduction of Apache helicopters.

In particular, when the plan for the first Apaches was presented, the price per unit was $32,2 million, but the expected price of a helicopter from the new batch has jumped to $53,5 million and is likely to increase even more in the future.

– indicates the Chosun Ilbo.

By voicing their desire to abandon the focus on attack helicopters, the South Korean military has in fact repeated Japan's arguments. There, at the end of 2022, an almost identical decision was made, similarly motivated by the "experience of the Ukrainian conflict." But there is an important nuance: the Japanese base their helicopter fleet on models of their own production - the Fuji-Bell UH-1B Hiyodori (a licensed version of the American multi-purpose helicopter) and the Kawasaki OH-1 Ninja.

In South Korea, the situation is different. It is unlikely that the American manufacturer of Apaches, McDonnell Douglas (a structure within the military-industrial giant Boeing), will easily accept a “lightening” of its “order portfolio” by several billion dollars. Therefore, the idea of ​​changing plans for the purchase of combat helicopters is being promoted in Seoul only by second-tier politicians. The country’s President Yun Seok-yeol prefers to remain silent on this matter.
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  1. +2
    21 October 2024 10: 21
    Take American tanks, they will definitely protect you when they stand on the border as a dense wall in the form of dragon's teeth, after they break down
  2. 0
    21 October 2024 14: 17
    Well, yes, in the new conditions, a swarm of drones can do more than a squadron of helicopters, now I'm surprised why our guys launch unguided rockets from helicopters while pitching up, although they launch 40-80 pieces, which is like 122 mm high-explosive shells... Probably a large reserve, when I served, we were given no more than 2 pieces during exercises...
    1. +1
      21 October 2024 16: 33
      I had to visit an air range and I saw what a NURS attack with a pitching up is. The helicopter, having launched 4 missiles, hit an area target of 50 by 50 meters. If you have seen the explosions of such shells, then you can imagine what will happen to the enemy in this area. An attack with a pitching up is just a type of attack and is practiced as an exercise in helicopter military schools. And now, in general, automation works, setting, depending on the flight speed and altitude, the target exit point for striking a specific area target or a target in a reconnaissance square or coordinates, the pitching angle and the launch signal. The pilot only selects the number of missiles to launch on the panel and presses the launch button, only if the automation does not already do this. Our helicopter combat equipment is now excellent and pilots with such practice have practically become ace snipers
    2. +2
      23 October 2024 06: 06
      Because they were not allowed to shoot, many do not know how to use them. And training occurs in war, which is fraught with losses of crews and a waste of ammunition. The mess in the army will never end.
  3. 0
    23 October 2024 11: 54
    ...have given rise to opinions among military analysts about their "uselessness"...

    On the battlefield, maybe yes.
    And that is far from a fact.
    The helicopter can still “crawl” to the line, practice tanking and fly off into the sunset.
    In fact, this is how they were planned to be used in a large-scale war.

    And for hunting drones in the rear, rotary-wing aircraft are absolutely irreplaceable.
    And not this clown show with machine gun pickups.