South Korea will shift in direction of cheaper assault drones to cowl the identical tank busting roles, in step with evolving traits in fashionable warfare.
South Korea has now given an official imprimatur to its plans to not proceed with the acquisition of 36 further AH-64E Apache assault helicopters after stories of the rethink pushed by the nation’s lawmakers emerged in October 2024. Chosun and Yonhap reported {that a} supplementary funds pushed by the opposition Individuals’s Energy Get together’s (PPP) lawmaker Rep. Yoo Yong-won handed within the Nationwide Meeting on Jul. 4, 2025, allocating merely 300 million Received from the preliminary 10 billion Received ($7.3 million) budgeted for the acquisition.
The Korea Instances stated that the second section of the procurement of the extra Apaches by 2028 for over 3 trillion received ($2.2 billion) has now been “successfully scrapped.” In its newest report, Chosun additional said that “with the most recent spherical of cuts within the supplementary funds, the probability of the challenge being canceled has considerably elevated.”
In October 2024, Chosun stated the associated fee per airframe for the primary section of the AH-64E Apache buy – which offered the RoKA (Republic of Korea Military) with 36 airframes delivered between 2016 and 2017 – was 44.1 billion received ($31 million). Nevertheless, the anticipated worth for the second section “skyrocketed” to 73.3 billion won-a-piece ($52 million), with the “risk that it’ll enhance additional sooner or later.”
Moreover, in October 2024, South Korean officers questioned the knowledge of the procurement of the extra 36 Apaches consuming “70% of the Military’s annual funds” (roughly 6.5 trillion received or $4.68 billion).
BREAKING:
South Korea scraps its plans to purchase a second batch of 36 further Apache assault helicopters from the U.S. for USD 7 billion.
South Korea says it’ll spend the cash on drones as a substitute
🇰🇷🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/i2UsJaJBNn
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) July 7, 2025
Russia-Ukraine battle knowledgeable South Korea’s Apache plans
Late in August 2024, the U.S. State Division authorised the FMS (Overseas Army Sale) deal for the extra 36 assault helicopters. This additionally included 456 AGM-114R2 Hellfire and 152 AGM-179A JAGM (Joint Air-to-Floor Missiles) missiles, together with Digital Warfare (EW), defensive, goal acquisition and communication programs.
Beside the high-cost implications, the rethink in South Korea was additionally pushed by the vulnerability of assault helicopters in fashionable warfare, as seen within the excessive variety of Russian Kamov Ka-52 Alligator assault helicopters misplaced to Man-Transportable Air Protection Programs (MANPADS) in Ukraine. Like final yr, the most recent stories from South Korea stress on how Seoul shall be “shifting […] in direction of” the cheaper however equally efficient assault drones substitutes for a similar tank and bunker busting roles, in step with “evolving traits in fashionable warfare.”
‘Successfully scrapped’
Welcoming the choice, Yu cited “the rising vulnerability of helicopters to low-cost missile and drone assaults […] on the battlefield in Ukraine,” TKT reported.
“The reconsideration of Apache procurement is a constructive step. We have to put money into drones and different cutting-edge programs,” Yu additional instructed TKT. Yu additionally talked about how the U.S. Military’s shift to drones just like the Grey Eagle justifies a “complete reexamination” of South Korea’s personal plan to develop its Apache fleet.
🇺🇸🇰🇷 From left to proper, a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey, UH-1Y Venom and AH-1Z Viper, and a U.S. Military AH-64E Apache are parked at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, Sept. 4, 2024, throughout train Ssang Yong 24.
(📸/U.S. Marine Corps picture by Capt. Staci Morris) pic.twitter.com/rRqwBzYzlL
— Man Plopsky (@GuyPlopsky) July 6, 2025
The Apaches’ procurement was authorised beneath the earlier President Moon Jae-in’s administration’s “New Offensive Operational Plan” spearheaded by former protection minister Tune Younger-moo, which deliberate “to finish the battle in two weeks” by “deploying particular forces to Pyongyang utilizing helicopters.” Nevertheless, the reconciliation and inter-Korean dialogue pushed by Moon Jae-in himself led to its unofficial demise.
Are assault helicopters actually out of date?
TKT and Chosun have printed conflicting claims in regards to the consequence of a Could assembly of the Joint Chiefs of Employees on whether or not the second section of the AH-64E Apache acquisition was authorised. Nevertheless, each publications stated it was the efficiency of assault helicopters in Ukraine driving the rethink in Seoul.
The stories interpreted the heavy losses of Russian helicopters to MANPADS as a “cautionary sign.” Moreover, the U.S. Military cancelling its personal Future Assault Reconnaissance Plane (FARA) and Japan and Australia endeavor “comparable evaluations” had been additionally talked about by TKT.
The primary of Canberra’s 29 AH-64E Apaches had entered the ultimate meeting at Boeing facility in Mesa, Arizona in Mar. 2025, because the Australian Military additionally appears to be like to dispose its older 22 Eurocopter (now Airbus) Tiger assault helicopters. “Drones and sensible programs are redefining fashionable battlefields,” Yu stated, advising towards “clinging to costly legacy platforms,” based on TKT.
Nevertheless, as we analyzed right here at The Aviationist, greater than the vulnerability of assault helicopters, it’s their overseas origin that imposes life-cycle and improve constraints throughout standard wars. This was mirrored in U.S. and NATO allies just like the U.Ok. getting ready their Apaches for the land battle towards Russian armor within the European theater, and Russia’s Ka-52s additionally contributing to thwarting Ukraine’s counter-offensive in the summertime of 2023.
Ukraine itself was looking for the AH-1Z Viper assault helicopter at one level to maximise its advantages from the Kursk offensive. China in the meantime seems to be contemplating its Z-10 assault helicopter even for maritime warfare, in addition to a standard overhead gunship position in a Taiwan invasion.
Lastly, loitering munitions claimed to have the ability to substitute assault helicopters, are themselves being examined to be managed from the rotary wing plane for MUM-T (Manned-Unmanned Teaming).
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Reportedly pictures of Russian Ka-52 helicopter. Allegedly shot down by Wagner close to the village of Talovaya, Voronezh area. pic.twitter.com/8mEoJxm9Ug
— Particular Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) June 24, 2023
The advantages of heavy, persistent Shut Air Assist (CAS) hearth with guided/unguided rockets, tank-busting missiles and machine weapons for anti-infantry roles supplied by helicopter gunships is plain within the land battle that will erupt within the Korean Peninsula.
Indigenous LAH could be a greater possibility
Seoul’s rethink on the AH-64E Apache program is pushed extra by the associated fee and logistical implications moderately than the relevance of the system, notably after we take into account its home aerospace main Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has developed the Mild Armed Helicopter (LAH).
KAI delivered the primary two LAHs to the RoKA on Dec. 26, 2024, based on Janes. The platform was additionally designated Miron (LAH-1) on the Korea Military Worldwide Protection Trade Exhibition (KADEX) in October 2024.
South #Korea‘s assault #helicopters within the #rain. @BoeingDefense AH-64E #Apache and Korea Aerospace Industries #KAI Mild Assault Helicopter #LAH. pic.twitter.com/GeLq7tlHXd
— Kelvin Wong (@PENxSWORD) October 29, 2024
The 5 tonne-class helicopter primarily based on the Airbus H155 will exchange the RoKA’s fleet of MD-500 Defender and Bell AH-1S Cobra assault helicopters. Seoul’s Protection Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA) stated in a press release on Dec. 27, 2024: “Sooner or later, Mirons shall be operated as a core drive for future aviation operations of the military.”
