Forestry service to buy more choppers to better fight forest fires

The Korea Forest Service (KFS) will buy 15 more choppers by 2025 to better deal with bushfires, officials said Wednesday.

The KFS has already requested 32.4 billion won (US$28.8 million) in the extra budget awaiting parliamentary approval, part of the total 108.1 billion won needed to buy four helicopters by 2018.

One of the planned purchases is the South Korean-made Surion, which the state auditor recently announced had various defects. The Korea Aerospace Industries Co., the maker of Surion, is under investigation on corruption allegations, its senior officials suspected of inflating the cost of the chopper's development and pocketing the extra money.

KFS officials said the contract to buy the Surion was struck in 2015 at 20.5 billion won. They said the cited defects of the chopper would not affect its intended use.

"There are debates about the flight safety of Surion, but we believe that the problems are not detrimental since the aircraft is being used by the military and the police," an official said. "The contract was signed two years ago, and it would be difficult to cancel it with only partial payment left."

   Officials said they will, however, take into consideration the auditor's probe results in future purchases and make new selection decisions.

KFS will also buy an S-64 from U.S. manufacturer Erickson. The skycrane, priced at 27.5 billion won, can seat five people and fly at a speed of 213 kilometers per hour. It can carry 8,000 liters of water and airlift up to 9,000 kilograms of cargo.

South Korea currently has 62 choppers on hand to fight forest fires, including 33 owned by KFS. Officials say that in emergency situations like several woodland fires breaking out at the same time, the country can mobilize about 90 choppers.