Eurocopter will be awarded a contract before year-end, pending South Korean government approval, to help Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) develop and build 245 army utility helicopters.
Industry sources say KAI has selected Eurocopter over AgustaWestland and Bell Helicopter as its foreign airframe partner for the $8.6 billion Korea Helicopter Programme (KHP) and has already negotiated a contract with the EADS company. However, the selection still must be approved by South Korea’s defence ministry and its president.
Eurocopter emerged as the frontrunner to assist with design of the 6,800kg (15,000lb) KHP earlier this year because EADS promised more technology transfer and pledged to help KAI with other programmes. But sources say AgustaWestland believes its A149-based proposal more closely meets South Korea’s requirement and that the UK government is also lobbying Seoul to reject the proposal from Eurocopter, derived from its larger EC225/AS332 Super Puma.
Sources say some factions within the defence ministry and programme office are refusing to support the Eurocopter proposal, but that pressure remains to launch the programme this year to ensure the army can replace its MD Helicopters MD500s and Bell UH-1s from 2011. However, Seoul could opt to scrap the project entirely on the grounds of risk, having in late 2004 cancelled its long-delayed predecessor, the Korean Multi-role Helicopter programme, after an audit questioned the feasibility of developing an indigenous helicopter with attack and utility variants. The slightly less ambitious KHP utility effort was launched last April, with attack helicopters to be imported at an undetermined later date.
Airframe, avionics, engine and other manufacturers have invested heavily in preparing bids for KMH and now KHP.
Several Western companies have also been tentatively selected, including General Electric for the engine and Elbit Systems for avionics integration, and will be awarded contracts pending government approval. The defence ministry is scheduled to approve all the selections early this month and the president will be asked to sign off on the programme in mid-December.
BRENDAN SOBIE/SINGAPORE
Source: Flight International
