Bell "Viper is Suitable as an Attack Helicopter for the Marine Corps"

Bell's AH-1Z Viper

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The American helicopter manufacturer Bell has expressed its intention to participate in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps amphibious assault helicopter project.

Vince Tobin, Vice President of Bell's Defense Division, emphasized at a press conference held on the 9th at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul, "The attack helicopter AH-1Z Viper has been perfectly modified from the platform manufacturing process to be suitable for maritime environments," adding, "It can withstand the corrosive effects of saltwater and conduct operations at sea."

Korea is pushing to acquire amphibious assault helicopters to be operated by the Marine Corps Aviation Unit, which will be established next year. It is known that about 20 units will be put into service by the mid to late 2020s. Bell claims that if the Korean Marine Corps selects the Viper, it will be advantageous not only for the joint operational compatibility between the ROK and US Marine Corps but also for parts interchangeability. Bell also highlighted the precision-guided weapons equipped on the Viper, such as the Hellfire missile, APKWS laser-guided rockets, and the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile, as strengths.

A Bell official addressed the controversy regarding the Viper's slow vertical climb rate, stating, "It is difficult to provide an exact answer due to many operational variables, but the heavily armed Viper's vertical climb rate reaches 8 m/s." He added, "The front and rear seats can switch controls, allowing piloting from the front seat and weapon operation from the rear seat."

Nate Green, Senior Manager at Bell, introduced during a virtual press conference that the US Marine Corps operates a total of 189 Vipers and added, "The Viper will continue to be used by the US Marine Corps until the 2040s."

The Marine Corps amphibious assault helicopter project is currently at the stage of establishing a basic project promotion strategy after the first preliminary study from 2015 to 2016 and the second preliminary study from 2018 to 2019. The Defense Agency for Technology and Quality concluded in the second preliminary study that procuring the domestically produced amphibious maneuver helicopter Marineon equipped with weapons, the 'armed Marineon,' is reasonable. This overturned the first preliminary study result, which suggested that purchasing either Bell's Viper or Boeing's AH-64E Apache from overseas would be appropriate.

Furthermore, Lieutenant General Lee Seung-do, Commander of the Marine Corps, expressed opposition to the armed Marineon during the National Assembly audit in October, stating, "We want a helicopter currently operated as an attack helicopter, not a Marineon equipped with weapons," fueling ongoing controversy over the model selection. The military authorities plan to prepare a basic project promotion strategy by April next year based on the results of the project analysis study conducted by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration to decide whether to develop the amphibious assault helicopter domestically or procure it from overseas.