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