A super-large forest helicopter is demonstrating wildfire suppression by spraying water cannons. The photo is unrelated to the article. Source: Provided by the Korea Forest Service
[Asia Economy (Gangwon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The Korea Forest Service will additionally deploy one super-large helicopter each in Wonju and Gangneung, Gangwon Province. These super-large helicopters will be deployed to large wildfire response sites across Gangwon Province.
On the 5th, the Korea Forest Service announced that it held a commissioning ceremony for two super-large helicopters at the Gangneung Forest Aviation Management Office.
The helicopters commissioned that day are the ‘S-64’ model from Erickson Air-Crane Inc. of the United States, which has been active at wildfire sites worldwide including the U.S., Australia, and Greece, and is regarded as the highest-performing wildfire-fighting helicopter operated in the civilian sector.
The Korea Forest Service plans to utilize these two helicopters by additionally deploying one each in Wonju (headquarters) and Gangneung, Gangwon Province, to prevent large wildfires along the East Coast region of Gangwon. With this, a total of six super-large helicopters will be operated domestically in Wonju (2 units), Gangneung, Iksan, Andong, and Jincheon (1 unit each).
The additional introduction of super-large helicopters in the Gangwon region was promoted considering the frequent occurrence of multiple large wildfires centered on the East Coast area of Gangwon. Large wildfires have occurred in this area over the years, including Goseong in 1996, the East Coast in 2000, Yangyang (destruction of Naksansa Temple) in 2005, Gangneung and Samcheok in 2017, and Goseong, Gangneung, and Inje in 2019, leaving scars on the forests due to fire damage.
Accordingly, the Korea Forest Service aims to enhance the large wildfire response capability in the East Coast area of Gangwon through the additional introduction of super-large helicopters.
The newly introduced super-large helicopters can carry 8,000 liters of firefighting water, have a maximum speed of 213 km/h, and can lift cargo weighing 9 tons, making them suitable for large wildfire suppression.
In particular, the helicopters are equipped with a Sea Snorkel, enabling them to draw seawater, which allows them to be used for wildfire suppression in island and archipelago areas even under adverse conditions such as drought or lack of freshwater reservoirs, according to the Korea Forest Service.
Additionally, these helicopters are equipped with a digital instrument panel (Glass Cockpit), which is said to facilitate securing crew safety at wildfire sites.
In terms of the number of super-large helicopters owned by country, South Korea’s ranking has risen to second place worldwide based on this additional introduction. The country with the most super-large helicopters is the United States, where a total of 35 super-large helicopters are confirmed to be in operation.
At the commissioning ceremony, the Korea Forest Service demonstrated wildfire suppression using the super-large helicopter and the Russian-made large helicopter ‘KA-32’, as well as drone firebomb deployment, and exhibited wildfire command vehicles, firefighting vehicles, forest disaster drone response teams (vehicles), and mobile water tanks on site.
Park Jong-ho, head of the Korea Forest Service, said, “Large wildfires in the East Coast region of Gangwon pose a serious threat to the lives and safety of the public. As the main agency responsible for wildfire disaster management, the Korea Forest Service is committed to doing its best to ensure that our forests maintain a healthy ecosystem throughout the year.”
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