US EditionSouth Korea Backtracks over Follow-on Apache Helicopter Buy
SOUTH KOREA, JUL 6 – South Korea cancels $2.2 billion Apache helicopter order after 66% price increase and concerns over helicopter vulnerability, shifting focus to unmanned systems, lawmakers said.
- South Korea has abandoned its $2.2 billion initiative to purchase 36 more AH-64E Apache attack helicopters after a July 4, 2025 budget revision reduced the funding from 10 billion won to just 300 million won.
- This decision stemmed from rising costs, the vulnerability of helicopters to missile and drone attacks highlighted in Ukraine, and shifting military doctrines favoring unmanned systems.
- South Korea already operates 36 Apaches delivered between 2016 and 2017 and is introducing domestically built Light Armed Helicopters to form the core of future aviation capabilities.
- Lawmaker Yu Yong-weon emphasized the need to allocate resources toward unmanned aerial vehicles and advanced technological systems, while Boeing acknowledged that drones are not yet capable of fully substituting the Apache in combat operations.
- The cancellation suggests Seoul is pivoting toward cost-effective unmanned technologies while maintaining attack helicopter operations through alternative platforms like Marine Attack Helicopters.
11 Articles
11 Articles
The South Korean Army Cancelled the Purchase of 36 New Ah-64e Apache Attack Helicopters From the Us.
In a significant strategic turnaround, the South Korean Army would have decided to cancel the purchase of 36 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, valued at approximately $3.5 billion, as part of a shift in its defence priorities, which are now oriented towards unmanned technologies and new generation warfare systems with better prospects. The second phase of the South Korean program to equip itself with heavy attack helicopters—which contemplated t…
Last year, with thirty-six AH-64E Apache/Guardian attack helicopters already in stock, the South Korean military was considering purchasing thirty-six more from Boeing. In August 2024, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which oversees US military equipment exports, gave the green light to the potential purchase, which was then estimated at $3.5 billion. This article: South Korean Parliament Cancels Plan to Acquire 36 Additional AH-6…
Seoul Scraps Purchase Of Additional AH-64E Apache Attack Helicopters - Data Intelligence
South Korea will shift towards cheaper attack drones to cover the same tank busting roles, consistent with evolving trends in modern warfare. South Korea has now given an official imprimatur to its plans to not proceed with the purchase of 36 additional AH-64E Apache attack helicopters after reports of the rethink pushed by the country’s lawmakers emerged in October 2024. Chosun and Yonhap reported that a supplementary budget pushed by the oppos…
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