U.S. attack helicopter manufacturer proposes technology transfer to DAPA

Bell's AH-1Z attack helicopter, also known as the Viper, which was the Korean Marine Corps' preferred choice for its first-ever attack wing [UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS]

The state arms procurement agency received an official offer of technology transfer from the manufacturer of a foreign attack helicopter preferred by the Korean Marine Corps, according to a conservative People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker on Monday.

Bell, the manufacturer of the AH-1Z attack helicopter currently deployed by the U.S. Marine Corps, also known as the Viper, sent its offer to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) on Thursday, according to PPP Rep. Han Ki-ho’s office.

The proposal entails technological collaboration with Korean Air for domestic production of the Viper under license, similar to the KF-16 multirole fighter, which is a licensed Korean version of American aerospace and defense corporation General Dyanmics’ F-16 produced by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the country’s sole aircraft manufacturer.

This is not the first time that Bell has made an offer of technology transfer to DAPA.

Han revealed at a National Assembly defense committee hearing that DAPA essentially ignored two e-mails sent by Bell in October and November that proposed domestic Viper production, ostensibly because the messages were not addressed to the agency’s chief or the head of DAPA’s helicopter business division.

Bell’s third attempt to get DAPA’s attention represents a potential plot twist to the agency’s much-criticized decision last year to equip the Marine Corps with 24 domestic attack helicopters.

The agency announced in April 2021 that it selected the attack variant of KAI's Marineon as the Korean Marine Corps’ future attack helicopter. The deal is expected to cost 1.6 trillion won ($1.16 billion) and is part of a larger acquisition plan to create the Marine Corps’ first-ever air wing, composed of a squadron of attack helicopters and two squadrons of regular Marineon transport utility helicopters.

The air wing will operate from the Navy’s Dokdo-class amphibious assault ships.

But the Marineon comes with a choppy history.

All of the Marine Corps’ Marineon helicopters were grounded in late 2018, following a crash that led to five deaths. The KAI claims that problems with the Marineon rotor mast which were at the root of the accident have since been resolved.

The decision to acquire the armed Marineon over the Viper — the Marine Corps’ preferred candidate — led to criticism from none other than the service’s 19th commandant, retired Lieutenant General Lee Seung-do, who told the National Assembly’s defense committee in October 2020 that the Marines Corps “does not want an armed variant of the Marineon, but an attack helicopter that is maneuverable and survivable.”

Critics fear that the armed variant of the Marineon falls short compared to other dedicated attack helicopters.

Originally designed as a transport helicopter, the Marineon’s airframe is wider than its competitors, making it more vulnerable to enemy fire, while its maximum speed of 279 kilometers (173 miles) per hour is significantly slower than the 300 kilometer-per-hour speed of the Viper.

During his election campaign, President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed that he would arm the Marine Corps with “weapons with proven battle capabilities,” leading some military officials and observers to wonder if his administration would walk back on DAPA’s earlier choice of the Marineone over the Viper and other candidates.

The Defense Ministry recently informed the National Assembly that it needs to evaluate other aspects of Bell’s proposal, such as the extent of technology transfers, maintenance and costs before revisiting DAPA’s decision.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]