S.Korean Military Orders 40 Bell 505 Training Helicopters

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced today it placed an order valued $132.8 million (170 billion won) for 40 Bell 505 helicopters manufactured by U.S. aerospace firm, Bell Textron Asia.

The deal includes provision of 8 simulators to train Army and Navy pilots. The simulators are to be manufactured by a Korean firm.

According to Bell, the Bell 505 helicopter has a maximum cruise speed of 231 kmph, range of 566 km and maximum endurance of 3.9+hrs.

The South Korean military plans to start deploying the helicopters to the Army and the Navy next year.

"We expect safety concerns stemming from the operation of old trainer helicopters will be addressed when the new helicopters are introduced," a DAPA official said in a release.