[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] The 3rd Army Training Helicopter Project... Candidate Models Are

Enstrom's 480B model

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Basic Flight Training Helicopter (THX) project to replace military training helicopters is being pushed forward again. The military had planned to import a total of about 40 helicopters from overseas, including around 30 for the Army and 10 for the Navy, with a budget of 170 billion won in 2015, but the bidding was canceled, causing a delay of five years.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration plans to proceed with the third bidding announcement for the Basic Flight Training Helicopter project to introduce training helicopters for the Army and Navy by February 5 next year.

If the THX project restarts, it is expected that many helicopter manufacturers will challenge the bidding. Currently, six overseas companies have reportedly expressed their intention to participate in the project.

American MDHI is producing the upgraded 500E helicopter, which has over 90% parts compatibility with the 500MD, and operates programs necessary for performance improvement and life extension of the 500MD. MDHI emphasizes that upgrading the 500MD can reduce the budget by about 50-80% compared to the existing project, and since the 500E helicopter is in production, parts can be supplied for the next 30 years.

The model Bell is promoting is the 505, an upgraded version of the 206. The Bell 206 was first developed in 1962 and has sold over 7,000 units to date. AgustaWestland's AW119 model is already in use by our police. It is an 8-seat utility helicopter with a large interior space as its advantage. It is spacious enough to install three seats side by side. Eurocopter is expected to propose the EC120 model. This model, jointly developed with China and Singapore, is also used in France and Spain.

There is also a notable model: the Enstrom 480B. The 480B model was designed for the purpose of US Army training. It is an upgraded version of the originally civilian 480 model from 2001. The biggest advantage of the 480B model is safety. Despite flying over 4 million hours to date, not a single accident has occurred. The 480B carries 90 gallons of fuel and can stay airborne for more than 4 hours at cruising speed. Another advantage is that its large rotor system rotates slowly, resulting in less helicopter noise. The 480B is used not only by the Japan Self-Defense Forces but also by the Thai Army, Czech Army, and Indonesian police.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.