guardians of the sea
Airforces
Intelligence‘In association with ....’airforcesintel.comhttp://www.airforcesmonthly.com #378 September 2019 // 81Above: The 63 Landing Manoeuvre Helicopter Group operates UH-60P and UH-1H helicopters for amphibious assault operations in support of the
ROK Marines and naval special warfare forces. Here, special forces from the Underwater Demolition Team perform a diving demonstration from UH-
60P serial 93-0506 at the ROKN International Fleet Review off Busan in 2015. All photos Tetsuya Kakitani unless statedrelated supporting
roles take part in
an initial ten-week
module, followed
by basic
courses
lasting two to four weeks
depending on their trade
and specialisation.
It was announced by the
South Korean government’s
Defense Acquisition Program
Administration (DAPA) in June
2017 that the NATC would be
used to certify both aircraft
maintainers and naval aircraft
that undergo their maintenance,
repair and overhaul (MRO)
and other upgrades.Future of naval
aviation
The total Maritime Operational
Helicopter (MOH) requirement
in the mid to long term is
thought to be for as many as
54 more helicopters in addition
to the eight Leonardo AW159Wildcats already purchased.
A 2016 report provided the
breakdown as follows: 12 for
the second phase of the MOH
which is currently active; 24 as
replacements for existing Lynx;
six for the three KDX-3 Batch II
destroyers in the pipeline; and 12
more for the future KDDX warship
programme with several hulls.
However, only 12 new helicopters
are currently being sought under
the MOH programme. DAPA
announced in 2017 and 2018
that it was seeking 12 more
ASW helicopters under MOH to
be inducted between 2020 and
2022, with a budget of around
US$780m. Contenders include
the AW159, Sikorsky’s MH-60R
and the NH Industries NH90.
But the controversy surrounding
the Wildcat acquisition that has
seen the arrests of a number of
senior naval and civilian officials,
including the former naval chief for
alleged corruption and favouring
certain naval acquisitions, hascast a shadow over further
Wildcat orders. In essence, it is
alleged that the evaluation reports
between the two contenders –
the six-ton class Wildcat and the
11-ton class MH-60R – were fixed
to favour the Wildcat. Reports
emerged in October 2017 that
Sikorsky said the additional
weight of the MH-60R offers
longer endurance on station
(time on target) and the ability to
perform a more diverse array of
missions during one sortie,
while Leonardo Helicopters
said the AW159’s
sensors – particularly
the radar – allow for a
rapid build-up of the tactical or
common operating picture, which
can reduce the need for longer
times on station. The European
manufacturer added that ROKN
ships are now compatible with
AW159 operations and that crew
training is also geared to the type.
There are indications that
the AW159 may once againbe selected, given that local
media reported last October
that DAPA had only received
MOH proposals from Leonardo
by the September 28 due date,
while Lockheed Martin and
Airbus did not submit proposals.
Separately from this, there are
other indications that the AW159
is the likely choice given logistic
considerations and commonality
with the existing Wildcat fleet.
In future, it’s expected that ASW
versions of the Surion will be
selected instead of
foreign platforms.P-8A on the
horizon
New maritime patrol and anti-
submarine aircraft are also
being acquired. In June last
year, DAPA announced it had
selected an unspecified number
of Boeing P-8A Poseidons for
US$1.7bn. By September, the
number was revealed to be
six, according to a US Defense80-84 ROKNPart AFM Sep2019.indd 81 8/5/2019 3:39:12 PM