South Korea likely to cancel second Apache helicopter order after budget cut

South Korea is expected to abandon plans to purchase a second batch of 36 Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters after the National Assembly approved a significant budget cut, a senior opposition lawmaker said on July 7, 2025. 

According to Representative Yoo Yong-won of the main opposition People Power Party, the supplementary defense budget passed on July 4, 2025, slashed funding for the project from 10 billion won (approximately US$7.3 million) to just 300 million won. The remaining funds will reportedly be diverted to another defense program. 

Shift toward unmanned alternatives 

The move follows a May 2025 decision by South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff to reassess the AH-64E procurement and explore alternative options, including manned-unmanned teaming solutions.  

Yoo called the shift a “positive development,” citing the US Army’s own transition away from the Apache platform toward next-generation systems such as Bell Textron’s V-280 Valor tiltrotor and drone swarms. 

South Korea had been considering a follow-on purchase of 36 Apaches to replace its remaining fleet of aging Bell AH-1S Cobra helicopters, inducted in the 1970s. The country already operates 36 AH-64E Apaches ordered in 2013 and delivered between 2016 and 2017. 

The additional order received preliminary approval from the U.S. State Department in August 2024 under a $3.5 billion Foreign Military Sale. However, defense officials and lawmakers have raised concerns in recent months about the survivability of helicopters in modern high-threat environments, particularly in light of lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, where drones and portable air defense systems have proven highly effective against rotary-wing aircraft. 

Criticism of legacy platforms 

Yoo has been among the most vocal critics of the proposed purchase, arguing that the Republic of Korea Army should prioritize unmanned and loitering munitions systems over legacy platforms. 

“In today’s era of unmanned attack drones, it’s time for our military to reconsider such large-scale helicopter purchases based on an outdated operational strategy,” he said in an earlier statement. 

South Korea has already begun expanding its drone capabilities. In October 2024, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) ordered approximately 200 WARMATE 3 loitering munitions from Polish manufacturer WB Group for both training and combat use. 

With the Apache order now effectively defunded, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense and DAPA are expected to formally cancel the program in the coming months. The post South Korea likely to cancel second Apache helicopter order after budget cut appeared first on AeroTime.

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