South Korean helicopters will practice firing air-to-air missiles for the first time

The South Korean military plans to conduct its first-ever AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missile drills on Apache Guardian attack helicopters.

Korean helicopters practice firing air-to-air missiles for the first time

Korean AH-64E helicopters in training

The South Korean Army said today that it will deploy four AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters to participate in a live-fire exercise at the Daecheon firing range. This is the first time that South Korean attack helicopters will use AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missiles, Yonhap reported.

A formation of two Guardians would launch two Stingers at the Outlaw G2 target from a distance of 2.5 km. The remaining two helicopters would act as backups, ready to take off if the main formation encountered problems.

The South Korean Defense Ministry describes the AIM-92 as a “powerful weapon” capable of destroying aircraft and drones operating at low altitudes. The Stinger system was originally developed by the United States as a shoulder-fired air defense missile, but Seoul has asked Washington to add the ability to use this weapon on the AH-64E helicopter. Each helicopter can carry four Stingers with a maximum range of about 6 km.

The Republic of Korea Army established two attack helicopter battalions, with a total of 36 AH-64Es, last year. The training process has been completed, allowing the force to reach combat readiness in early 2018./.

According to VNE