• Forum
• SITREP

• Military

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space
• Public Eye

Further Reading

AH-X attack helicopter

About half of the Army's 500MD TOWs will reach their life span of 30 years by 2013, while AH-1Ss have also been in operation for more than 16 years. The AH-X attack helicopter project calls for the purchase of 36-40 attack helicopters (two squadrons) after 2004 at a cost of 2 trillion won ($1.6 billion). It is intended to counter threats by North Korea's tank and armored personnel carriers, and to replace 60 Bell AH-1S. The minimum operation requirements call for twin-engine helicopters capable of flying at speeds of over 240 kilometers per hour.

The project narrowed down to a showdown between American and Russian defense contractors. European and South African firms expressed intentions not to compete for the project. Boeing, Sikorsky and Bell of the U.S. and Kamov and Mil Moscow of Russia submitted their proposals for the project, but Eurocopter, a Franco-German consortium, and South Africa's Denel said they would not tender bids for the AH-X project. The helicopters expected to be offered by the U.S. and Russian contractors include Boeing's AH-64D Apache Longbow, Sikorsky's AUH-60, Bell's AH-1Z, Kamov's KA-50 and Mil Moscow's MI-28.

In 2001 South Korea dropped the AH-X plan, and decided to develop and produce [with foreign partners] the KMH Korean Multi-Purpose Helicopter. The KMH would provide more work for Korea Aerospace Industries. The new project aims at producing about 500 KMHs, which will provide more work than the 36 AH-Xs initially planned. The KHM program was to produce multi-purpose helicopters, including the attack function, for the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. By early 2005 the former Korean Multi-Role Helicopter (KMH) project, entailing the development of some 500 military aircraft including 200 attack helicopters by 2012, had been downscaled, and economic feasibility of the project was to be re-examined.

As of 2010 DAPA planned to purchase foreign heavy attack helicopter under the AH-X program separate from the KAH. The AH-X effort called for buying 36 foreign heavy attack helicopters while the KAH program will build about 270 homegrown aircraft. Both the AH-X and KAH programs are aimed at replacing the Korean Army's aging 500MD TOWs and AH-1Ss. About half of the 500MD TOWs will reach their lifespan of 30 years by 2013, while the AH-1S helicopters have been in operation for more than 16 years.

Candidates include Boeing's AH-64, Sikorsky's AH-60 and Bell's AH-1Z from the U.S.; the KA-52 from the Arseniev Russian Progress company; Italy's Agusta T/A-129; and Eurocopter's EC-665. DAPA is very interested in buying 36 refurbished AH-64 Apache helicopters. It wants to receive the first batch of 18 Block II Apache Longbow models modified from the Block I standard by 2012, and the second batch of older units, dubbed MIMEX, by 2014.