South Korea has agreed to conduct in-country overhauls of U.S. Army Chinook helicopters stationed on the peninsula. The Ministry of National Defense said the decision was made during an ROK–U.S. Logistics Cooperation Committee meeting in Seoul on Tuesday.
The bilateral meeting was attended by Lisa Smith, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for product support, and Lee Kap-soo, director general for logistics management at MND. Both sides endorsed a pilot program allowing Korean defense companies to perform depot-level maintenance on the T55 turboshaft engines of the CH-47F Chinook helicopters operated by the U.S. Army’s 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade alongside the ROK Army and Air Force.
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The ministry said the program would strengthen the two countries’ alliance, improve combat readiness for their armed forces and enhance local industry capabilities. While an official company was not named, a Hanwha Aerospace spokesperson told Yonhap that it is the only South Korean firm currently equipped to handle such overhauls.
The engine maintenance agreement comes as Hanwha Aerospace expands its participation in U.S.-Korea defense ties. In April, the defense manufacturer committed $205 million to a partnership with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. to co-develop and manufacture unmanned aerial vehicles. Earlier this year, it also signed a memorandum of understanding with Northrop Grumman to support Seoul’s Mine Countermeasures Helicopter program.