South Korea attack helicopter to wait for Korea Helicopter Programme

[BUFF 8]

DATE:29/02/08

SOURCE:Flightglobal.com

South Korea attack helicopter to wait for Korea Helicopter Programme

By Siva Govindasamy

 

 

South Korea could decide on an attack helicopter requirement after assessing

progress with an indigenous military utility helicopter programme.

Korea Aerospace Industries and Eurocopter are jointly working on the Korea

Helicopter Programme (KHP), with a first flight scheduled for 2010 and

production to begin in 2012.

Seoul also has a requirement for about 270 attack helicopters. Eurocopter is

interested in offering its Tiger, but could help develop an attack variant

under KHP.

"We need attack helicopters and an option is to get it via the KHP," says

Lee Sun Hi, commissioner of Korea's defence procurements agency. "But we

must assess the utility helicopter's performance when it starts flying, and

see if it can be adapted for our attack helicopter requirement. Otherwise,

we can look elsewhere."

KHP is developing an 8t military utility helicopter. Korea could eventually

order 500 for all of its services to replace an ageing fleet of Bell UH-1Hs

and McDonnell Douglas MD500s. A $1.3 billion development contract was signed

in June 2006, and the programme is expected to cost about $5.4 billion by

2011.

Another indigenous Korean programme - KF-X, to develop a fifth-generation

fighter - has suffered a blow after a government think-tank said it may not

be economically viable. Seoul has invited feedback from manufacturers

including Boeing, Dassault and Lockheed Martin.

Observers say it would too expensive to design an aircraft from scratch, and

it may be better to buy the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, in

which South Korea has expressed an interest. Lee says a final decision has

not been made.

"The report says that the cost-benefit effect is not viable, but that does

not mean we don't proceed. We have to discuss it with the defence ministry

and the air force to find viable methods to proceed on this matter," he

adds.