DSCA announces proposed $1.5B sale of Chinook helicopters to South Korea

By Dan Schere / December 6, 2022 at 4:26 PM

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Tuesday announced the State Department had approved a potential $1.5 billion sale of CH-47F Chinook helicopters and equipment to South Korea, with the goal of strengthening the country's security.

The proposed sale “supports the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Asia-Pacific region,” DSCA said in a statement Tuesday.

The CH-47F helicopters would allow South Korea to conduct missions such as medical evacuation, search and rescue, parachute drops and disaster relief in support of bilateral operational plans, according to DSCA.

In addition to the 18 Chinook helicopters, DSCA said South Korea’s government has requested:

  • 42 T55-GA-714A engines
  • 22 Common Missile Warning Systems
  • 44 secure radios
  • Radar warning systems, airborne communication systems and secure radios
  • U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services

The Tuesday announcement is another potential boost for Boeing’s Chinook, coming after Germany’s decision this summer to purchase the helicopters for its military, which is already in use by other NATO partners.

The Army reduced procurement funding for the Chinook, along with the Gray Eagle and UH-60 Black Hawk in its fiscal year 2023 budget request. The service, in recent years, has prioritized funding for Future Vertical Lift programs over legacy helicopter fleets.

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