S. Korea to Buy Cargo Planes for Special Forces

South Korea is pushing to procure advanced transport aircraft for use in delivering special forces to enemy areas at low altitudes in case of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula, a military source said, Monday. The C-130J Super Hercules built by Lockheed Martin has become the de facto sole candidate for the 725-billion-won ($500 million) program as the French-led European consortium EADS recently expressed intent to drop its bid due to integration problems on its A400M model, the source told The Korea Times.A representative of Lockheed's C-130 team is currently in Seoul for talks with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), which is to open the aircraft bidding soon, according to the U.S. defense firm's branch here. The firm plans to hold briefings on the C-130J March 18, it said.

The DAPA aims to conclude a deal by the end of the year, said the source. The agency announced last September that it would purchase about 10 larger transport planes by 2016 in stages. It said another candidate was Ukraine's AN-70 plane, but many experts here say the aircraft would not be enough to satisfy Seoul's operational requirements and timeline for delivery. The agency now has a keen interest in the newer C-130J-30 ``stretched'' variant, with the longer fuselage, for special operations, including attacks on North Korea's short-range Scud missile sites, as well as international peacekeeping operations, said the source.``The larger transport planes will play a crucial role in conducting independent or joint airlift operations at low altitudes with U.S. special forces, both in peacetime and wartime, as well as carrying out overseas peacekeeping missions, particularly after 2012 when South Korea takes over wartime operational control of its forces from the United States,'' the source said, asking not to be identified. He cited the mission requirements stated in a DAPA report submitted to the National Assembly last September.

Against this backdrop, DAPA's aircraft procurement bureau recently decided to use a budget originally set aside for the initial fees in the procurement of mine sweeping helicopters for the Navy as the initial deposit for the envisaged transport aircraft contract, the source noted. The move comes as the arms procurement agency has suffered financial constraints, with the South Korean won sharply falling against the U.S. dollar in recent months, he said. The DAPA initially set aside about 10.7 billion won ($7.3 million) for the initial deposit prior to the implementation of procurement. South Korea's Air Force currently operates a total of 12 older C-130H planes, whose relatively small capacity and short operational range have often restricted the service's overseas airlift operations.The C-130J's improvements include a 40-percent greater range, a 21-percent higher maximum speed, and a 41-percent shorter take-off distance. The plane, with modern avionics and increased engine power, can carry 92 passengers, 64 airborne troops, 74 litter patients with 2 medical personnel, and two to three Humvees, or an M113 Armored Personnel Carrier. The stretched version can carry 128 equipped combat troops or 92 paratroopers.

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