KAI displayed their light armed helicopter at DX Korea, a defense expo, held on Sept. 21-25, 2022, in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. (courtesy of KAI)
A South Korean-made light armed helicopter (LAH), which is the seventh developed anywhere in the world, is scheduled to begin mass production this year.
On Monday morning, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) held its 147th defense project promotion committee meeting via videoconference.
During the meeting, it reviewed and approved a framework plan for development of a 130 mm Guided Rocket-II system, a framework strategy for pursuit of a 155 mm precision-guided artillery project, framework strategy revisions and a purchasing plan for a second heavy attack helicopter project, and the first LAH mass production plan.
The LAH project involves the introduction of domestically made helicopters to replace outdated 500MD and AH-1S Cobra attack helicopters, the bodies of which are designed to last 40 to 50 years.
The LAHs include weaponry such as air-to-surface missiles and rockets. A 4.9-ton LAH reportedly has a cruising distance of 411 km, an operation period of two hours and 35 minutes, and a maximum speed of 243 km/hr.
The Army’s helicopter-based air weaponry has the primary role of destroying North Korean tanks in the event of an emergency. Other duties include blocking marine infiltration by North Korean special forces and providing cover for South Korean air assault units.
Referred to as “tank killers,” the heavy attack helicopters are the most destructive of the Army’s aerial capabilities, but they are also expensive. In practice, the pricey heavy attack helicopters are supplemented by the use of comparatively cheaper LAHs.
In revising the Army’s aerial capability approach to focus on heavy attack helicopters and LAHs, military authorities opted to import AH-64E Apache Guardians from the US to meet heavy attack helicopter needs, while developing LAHs domestically. South Korea is one of just seven countries to design and mass produce its own model of attack helicopter.
After a 2001 decision on the cost, a period of exploratory development in 2011–2012, and an initial test evaluation in 2019–2020, the LAH was provisionally judged suitable for combat use in December 2020 prior to the defense project promotion committee’s first mass production decision on Monday.
Between this year and 2031, the mass production of LAHs is to proceed with a budget of 5.75 trillion won (US$4.3 billion). The DAPA plans to sign a mass production contract with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) within the year.
Also on Monday, the defense project promotion committee approved framework strategy revisions and a purchasing plan for a second heavy attack helicopter project. The project involves overseas purchasing of heavy attack helicopters to provide real-time support for aerial firepower and guarantee attack speeds during the execution of aggressive deep maneuver operations by the Army’s maneuver divisions.
The committee decided Monday on a plan involving purchasing through an intergovernmental foreign military sales (FMS) approach. The plan is reportedly to purchase Apache helicopters, with a project cost of 3.3 trillion won.
The 155mm precision-guided artillery project is intended to develop smart munitions.
Due to a lack of precision, ordinary artillery must be fired in large quantities to suppress targets. In contrast, 155 mm precision-guided artillery includes guidance systems that allow for accurate strikes against targets even when fired in lower numbers. A single precision-guided artillery round is estimated to be capable of substituting for around 50 rounds of ordinary 155 mm artillery.
Once integrated, the 155 mm precision-guided artillery rounds are to be fired by K9 howitzers.
In the event of a localized provocation where North Korea launches artillery toward the South, a precise strike could be carried out quickly on the source of the provocation. In a scenario of total war, the artillery could be used for precision strikes against key North Korean targets.
Based on the framework strategy for the project approved by the committee on Monday, total project costs of roughly 440 billion won are to be invested between 2024 and 2036.
The 130 mm Guided Rocket-II project involves domestic research and development for a 130 mm guided rocket system capable of responding to a North Korean coastal battery attack on a location such as the Five West Sea Islands or an attempted amphibious raid by North Korean forces.
The previously developed 130 mm guided rocket Biryong is used by Chamsuri-class high-speed Navy vessels to block attempted infiltrations by North Korean naval vessels. The 130 mm Guided Rocket-II uses a mobile vehicle launch system to neutralize North Korean coastal batteries and thwart attempts by amphibious raid units.
Around 380 billion won is to be invested between 2022 and 2033.
By Kwon Hyuk-chul, staff reporter
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