[Exclusive] Complete Cancellation of 5 Major Large-Scale Weapon Acquisition Projects [Yang Nakgyu's Defence Club]

Procurement Prices Rise and Overlap with Existing Weapons
Army, Navy, and Air Force Abandon Large-Scale Weapons Projects Worth 12 Trillion Won

Five major large-scale weapons procurement projects worth over 12 trillion won have been completely canceled. The military decided to scrap all projects, judging that the weapon procurement prices have increased and that the already deployed weapons overlap with the missions.

According to the military on the 25th, the Army will not proceed with the second phase of the large attack helicopter procurement project (36 units, 3.3327 trillion won), the light armored vehicle procurement project (53 units, 700 billion won), the Navy will cancel the light aircraft carrier construction project (1 ship, 2.649 trillion won) and the joint firepower ship construction project (3 ships, 2.2833 trillion won), and the Air Force will cancel the joint mobile target surveillance and control aircraft procurement project (4 units, 3.3901 trillion won).

Instead of Additional Apache Procurement, Shift to Manned-Unmanned Hybrid Weapons

The military had planned to secure an additional 36 AH-64E Apache Guardians through the second phase of the large attack helicopter project. The Army introduced 36 Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardians through the first phase project, which invested about 1.9 trillion won. An additional budget of 3.3 trillion won was allocated to procure 36 more units. Over time, the price increased. The amount proposed by the U.S. last year was $3.5 billion (approximately 4.6655 trillion won), exceeding the budget by 1.3 trillion won. The price per Apache rose from 44 billion won to 74 billion won. The military decided to replace the Apache with manned-unmanned hybrid systems or unmanned attack aircraft by April.

The light armored vehicle procurement project was also canceled. The Army’s Rapid Response Division planned to load two light armored vehicles onto the large transport helicopter CH-47 Chinook and deploy them behind enemy lines. This is suitable for the special forces brigade under the Rapid Response Division to perform missions in enemy territory. Kia Defense Business Unit started development. They planned to introduce Wiesel armored vehicle technology in partnership with Germany’s Rheinmetall. With a combat weight of 4.8 tons, it met the military’s required operational requirements (ROC). However, after evaluating the technological maturity of domestic defense companies, the military judged that domestic development was impossible. They also could not find a suitable light armored vehicle for direct import overseas. Ultimately, the project was abandoned, and they decided to introduce and utilize special operations light tactical vehicles instead.

Navy’s Dream of Light Aircraft Carrier Replaced by Unmanned Power Command Ship

The Navy’s dream of the light aircraft carrier (CVX) project also disappeared. The light aircraft carrier was the largest single vessel capable of carrying up to 16 fighter jets. Domestic shipbuilding and defense companies formed alliances with domestic and foreign firms to build the light aircraft carrier. Hyundai Heavy Industries partnered with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to gain an advantage in carrier-based aircraft operations. They also formed a partnership with Babcock, the developer of the UK’s latest aircraft carrier, the Queen Elizabeth. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, the predecessor of Hanwha Ocean, teamed up with Hanjin Heavy Industries, which built the Navy’s Dokdo-class ship, and the Italian state-owned shipyard Fincantieri, which built Italian aircraft carriers. Considering defense policy research, the military decided to abandon the light aircraft carrier and replace it with a multipurpose unmanned power command ship equipped with reconnaissance and attack unmanned aerial vehicles.

Joint Firepower Ship Canceled, Plan to Increase Destroyer Missiles

The joint firepower ship construction plan was also scrapped. The joint firepower ship is a vessel equipped with a large number of missiles. The Navy planned to build a Korean-style joint firepower ship similar to the U.S. Arsenal Ship and Zumwalt-class destroyer. Hanwha Ocean won the concept design contract in 2023 and unveiled a model. The revealed joint firepower ship is an 8,000-ton class vessel equipped with over 90 vertical launch systems, 15 of which are loaded with new ballistic missiles. If three ships fire simultaneously, they can launch up to 45 missiles. The military judged that carrying a large number of high-flying missiles would reduce survivability and overlap in function with the Army’s missiles. Instead of the joint firepower ship, the plan is to enhance strike capability by increasing the number of missile launchers on destroyers.

Surveillance and Control Aircraft Procurement Canceled, Prioritize Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

The Air Force’s joint mobile target surveillance and control aircraft project was also canceled. The joint mobile target surveillance and control aircraft is an aircraft that monitors the ground and commands and controls operations. The first to enter the project were U.S. Raytheon and Korean Air. Various onboard equipment was to be produced with the participation of domestic small and medium enterprises. U.S. Northrop Grumman also joined the project, unveiling JSTARS-K and proposing to use business jets. Additionally, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Korea Aerospace Industries showed interest. However, considering cost and procurement timing, the military plans to prioritize the introduction of high-altitude unmanned aerial systems (HUAS) first.