South Korea is reconsidering its plans to procure 36 AH-64E Apache combat helicopters, following the heavy casualties suffered by Russian helicopters in the war with Ukraine.
The Republic of Cora Army (ROKA) currently operates a fleet of 36 AH-64E Apache helicopters, ordered in 2013 to replace its aging Bell AH-1S Cobra, which were delivered between 2016 and 2017, and had plans to double its fleet with a new order.
South Korea’s order for more Apache helicopters from the U.S., valued at approximately $3.5 billion, included:
- 36 AH-64E Apache helicopters;
- 76 T700-GE-701D engines (4 spares);
- 36 AN/ASQ-170 Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sight/AN/AAR-11 Modernized Pilot Night Vision Sensors
(M-TADS/PNVS); - 14 AN/APG-78 mast-mounted fire control radars;
- 456 AGM-114R2 (N) Hellfire missiles;
- 6 M36E8 captive airborne training missiles (CATM);
- 152 AGM-179A Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles (JAGM);
- M230E-1 30mm and M139 AWS 20mm cannons and ammunition.
- 2.75-inch rockets
Future of attack helicopters in question
However, the growing number of Russian combat and assault helicopters shot down by drones, anti-tank missiles and man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) has led many military analysts to question the viability of these aircraft in today’s high-intensity warfare scenarios. The Japanese Ministry of Defense was one of the first to warn about the high risks faced by helicopters on modern battlefields. Even the Pentagon decided to suspend its Future Attack and Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program, intended to provide the U.S. Army with a new generation of armed reconnaissance aircraft to replace the Bell OH-58 Kiowa, based on “lessons learned” and a “sober assessment of the modern battlefield. Now it is South Korea that is expressing its doubts.
All footage from the Russian airborne helicopter assault into Gostomel airbase on the outskirts of Kyiv during the first days of the invasion. Includes new MANPADS launch and shootdown fotage. Multiple Ka-52 helicopters hit and shot down pic.twitter.com/Ui8J8bzI8O
— Hugo Kaaman (@HKaaman) March 1, 2022
See also: Farewell to FARA: US Army’s reconnaissance helicopter program falls victim to the war in Ukraine
According to the South Korean newspaper Chosun, a military source informed them that “the Ministry of Defense, the Army and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) have begun a comprehensive review, which includes the option of reducing the number of Apache helicopters to be procured.” Senior military commanders are questioning the utility of attack helicopters, given the effect in Ukraine of the widespread implementation of unmanned weapons systems, which are much cheaper and quicker to produce and deploy on the battlefield.
In the Ministry of Defense and ROKA, it seems that more and more voices are openly questioning the need to spend almost 70% of the annual budget for improving the Army’s capabilities on the purchase of the Apache. According to the unnamed source quoted by Chosun, the AH-64 procurement program is likely to suffer a significant cut in the number of units, or even be cancelled altogether, in order to devote these funds to new and emerging technologies.
