The Ministry of National Defense of Korea and the Ministry of National Defense of the United States selected the engine of the large transport helicopter CH047 (Chinook) for a pilot project involving Korean defense companies for Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul (MRO).
On the 22nd, the Ministry of National Defense of Korea and the Ministry of National Defense of the United States held the 57th Logistics Cooperation Committee meeting in Seoul and announced this.
The Chinook is a helicopter operated by both Korea and the United States. With its selection for this pilot project, the maintenance of the Chinook engines held by the U.S. Army will now also be conducted in Korea. This is expected to be an opportunity for Korea to acquire the capability for complete overhaul of helicopter engines.
The logistics cooperation committee included Lee Gap-soo, the logistics administrator of the Ministry of National Defense of Korea, and Lisa Smith, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Items Support at the Department of Defense of the United States. Both sides agreed that stable logistics support is necessary to maintain combat readiness and discussed ways to cooperate in equipment acquisition and operation and maintenance.
A representative from the Ministry of National Defense of Korea noted, "This meeting successfully played a role in enhancing logistics cooperation between the two sides," and said, "We have decided to pursue continuous cooperation based on trust in the future."
Meanwhile, the Korean and U.S. delegations plan to visit domestic defense companies in Changwon and Gumi from the 23rd to the 25th to seek additional MRO projects aside from the Chinook engine MRO pilot project.