Washington (Agencies): The US Department of State has approved a possible sale of 36 new Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to South Korea under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme.
The Republic of Korea Army (RoKA) already operates 36 AH-64Es, which were procured from 2016. South Korea requested the purchase of a second batch of 36 in 2021.
The potential sale, which has an estimated value of USD 3.5 billion, also covers 76 T700-GE-701D engines (including four spares), AN/ASQ-170 Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sight/AN/AAR-11 Modernised Pilot Night Vision Sensors (M-TADS/PNVS), and other key systems12. These include 14 AN/APG-78 Longbow Fire Control Radars (FCRs) with Mast Mounted Assembly (MMA) and 14 AN/APG-78 Longbow FCRs with Radar Electronic Units (REU), as well as 14 AN/APR-48B Modernized Radar Frequency Interferometers (MRFIs).
Weapons systems within the proposed sale include 456 AGM-114R2 (N) Hellfire missiles and 152 AGM-179A Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles (JAGM). Other weapons and munitions to be sold include M230E-1 30 mm automatic guns, M139 AWS 20 mm automatic guns, M261 rocket launchers, M299 missile launchers, 2.75 inch rockets, 30 mm rounds, MG62 Cartridge Impulse BBU-35/N, A965 cartridges, and 25.4 mm rounds. Six M36E8 Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM) are also included in the possible sale.
South Korea has also requested defensive systems within the sale package, such as 40 AAR-57 Common Missile Warning Systems, AN/AVR-2B laser detecting sets, M839 decoys, L410 flares, M206 aircraft countermeasures decoy flares, Cartridge Actuated Devices/Propellant Actuated Devices (CAD/PADs), and Common Missile Warning System (CMWS) software updates.
This sale, which still requires approval from Congress, underscores the strengthening defense ties between the US and South Korea.