Apaches mulled for western island

South Korea is considering deploying large-sized attack helicopters on one of its western sea border islands in preparation against surprise infiltrations of North Korean hovercraft, a defense source said yesterday.

“A helicopter hangar under construction on Baengnyeong Island is capable of accommodating large-sized attack helicopters,” said the source, asking anonymity. “Some Apache-class attack helicopters to be imported next year will be deployed on the border island in the long term,”

The military is scheduled to introduce 36 Apache-class attack helicopters around October 2012 in response to the growing possibility of surprise attacks by the North’s special commandos.

“North Korea has completed the construction of a new, sprawling naval base on Goampo of Hwanghae Province,” said the defense source. “The North’s new naval base appears to be far bigger than previously expected and capable of accommodating about 60 air-cushioned vessels,”

“With the completion of the Goampo naval base, the possibility of the North’s surprise naval attacks has further heightened,” the source said.

Yonhap