[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] The Endless Controversy of the Marine Corps Amphibious Assault Helicopter

Marine Corps to Establish Aviation Unit Next Year... Securing Amphibious Attack Helicopters by 2029
Judged Impossible to Conduct Multidimensional Amphibious Operations with Only Landing Craft and Amphibious Assault Vehicles

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Controversy continues over the Marine Corps' amphibious assault helicopters. The issue is whether to introduce a domestically produced armed version of the Marineon utility helicopter or to adopt foreign models such as the Viper (AZ-1Z) or Apache attack helicopter (AH-64) currently used by overseas militaries.

▲Why does the Marine Corps need amphibious assault helicopters?= On the 15th, during the National Assembly inspection held at the Navy Headquarters in Gyeryongdae, Chungnam, the Marine Corps announced in their work report that they plan to establish an aviation unit next year. They intend to form the aviation unit with two amphibious utility helicopter battalions and one amphibious assault helicopter battalion, aiming to secure about 30 amphibious utility helicopters (Marineon) by 2023 and about 20 amphibious assault helicopters between 2026 and 2029. The Marine Corps' establishment of an aviation unit is based on their past experience of deploying air power during the Vietnam War. It also stems from the judgment that current amphibious landing crafts and amphibious assault armored vehicles alone cannot conduct multidimensional amphibious operations.

However, as preliminary research, which must be conducted before weapon procurement, progressed, controversy began to grow. The first preliminary study conducted by the Security Management Institute recommended the introduction of foreign amphibious utility helicopters, while the second preliminary study by the Defense Technology Quality Institute advocated for domestic amphibious utility helicopter development. With such conflicting results, the decision has been delayed and the controversy has only intensified.

▲Arguments in favor of introducing foreign amphibious assault helicopters= Those advocating for the introduction of foreign amphibious assault helicopters prioritize performance aspects such as vertical climb rate. They argue that speed is essential to evade over 10,000 anti-aircraft guns possessed by North Korea. The Viper has a vertical climb rate of 14.2 meters per second, whereas the domestically developed amphibious assault helicopter is known to have a vertical climb rate of 7 meters per second, considering that it is based on the current Marineon. Armament and armor are also points of contention. To evade North Korean anti-aircraft guns, both armor and armament capabilities must be enhanced, but this inevitably increases weight. Another advantage of foreign amphibious assault helicopters is that the pilot seats are arranged front and back, making the fuselage narrower and reducing the likelihood of being hit.

▲Arguments in favor of developing a domestic amphibious assault helicopter= Proponents of introducing an armed version of the Marineon emphasize cost-effectiveness. The initial acquisition cost is expected to be under 37 billion KRW per unit for the Viper, while the armed Marineon is anticipated to exceed 37 billion KRW. The issue lies in maintenance costs. Currently, for helicopters introduced from overseas, maintenance costs are predicted to be about three times the acquisition cost. The difference in results also reflects that the first preliminary study assumed a 20-year lifecycle, while the second assumed 30 years. It is especially predicted that the armed Marineon will generate an industrial ripple effect worth 4.9342 trillion KRW over nine years. The armed Marineon is expected to have seats arranged side-by-side. Regarding claims that this increases vulnerability to being hit, Sikorsky, selected as the preferred bidder for the U.S. military's Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program, also decided on side-by-side seating, countering such arguments.