Seoul’s plan to order 36 additional Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters is under review, as the CH-47F Chinook emerges as the sole bidder in a competition for new special operations helicopters.
Boeing and South Korea are still in discussions about the planned AH-64E acquisition, and nothing has been decided yet, says Randy Rotte, Boeing Defense, Space & Security’s regional director for India, Asia, and Pacific sales.
“They’re doing some deliberations and we’re in conversations with them about how they want to move forward,” says Rotte.
Rotte spoke with FlightGlobal at the recent ADEX defence show in Seoul.
In July, local media reports cited a South Korean politician as saying that the budget for the Apache acquisition had been sharply cut, with South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff conducting a formal review into the acquisition.
In August 2024 the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency cleared the possible sale of 36 AH-64Es for $3.5 billion.
This followed an April 2021 announcement by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration that W3.2 trillion ($2.3 billion) had been earmarked for a new attack helicopter, a follow-on acquisition from the 36 AH-64Es acquired between 2012 and 2021.
Rotte adds that given the conflict in the Ukraine - which has seen the proliferation of drones - militaries are assessing the utility of manned aircraft in the modern battlefield and want to make sure that existing acquisition plans are still relevant.
For his part, Rotte, a former US Army helicopter pilot, believes that attack helicopters have a place in the future.
“From our experience and from other countries that we talk to, who may have had questions before about the future of manned attack aircraft, are now choosing to invest heavily in [manned attack assets],” adds Rotte.
Boeing has also emerged as the sole bidder for South Korea’s Special Operations Heavy Helicopter (SOHH) requirement, with the CH-47F. The plan calls for the acquisition of 18 large helicopters that will infiltrate army special forces and improve the air force’s search and rescue capabilities.
The rotorcraft will replace aging CH-47Ds.
Sikorsky had also pitched the CH-53K but decided not to bid for the requirement.
“After careful analysis, we have concluded that the current SOHH program budget does not align with the investment required to field the CH-53K, the most modern and most capable heavy-lift helicopter in the world,” says Sikorsky parent Lockheed Martin.
“Together with Korean industry, we continue to look forward to opportunities to provide economic and industrial benefits to Korea’s aviation community and security and prosperity for years to come.”
Under South Korean procurement rules, a single-bid tender triggers a review rather than an automatic award. DAPA may proceed with Boeing’s CH-47F offer under heightened scrutiny or re-tender the programme if competition is deemed insufficient.
South Korea’s military has long operated the CH-47D, and in 2023 ordered 18 CH-47F Block Is to replace older assets in the troop transport mission.
