By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
Operation of South Korean Army's surveillance helicopters has hit a snag as a U.S. firm supplying spare parts has gone bankrupt, an Army source said Friday.
According to the source, only two of the 13 Bo-105 helicopters operated by the Army are able to fly surveillance missions at the moment because the company producing the target acquisition and designation system (TADS) filed for bankruptcy.
TADS is the combined sensor and targeting unit fitted to the AH-64 helicopter. It contains stabilized electro-optical sensors, a laser rangefinder and laser target designator. The TADS allows Bo-105 helicopters to detect the movements of armored vehicles and mechanized units 18 kilometers away in daylight and 5.3 kilometers at night.
The Korean military plans to commission the development of TADS units to local defense manufacturers, said the source.
The Bo-105 is a light, twin-engine, multi-purpose utility helicopter developed by Eurocopter. Its production ended in 2001. South Korea produced the helicopter locally between 1999 and 2001 under a license agreement. The per-unit price is about 10 billion won.
The helicopter is supposed to conduct surveillance missions against North Korea's armored units in the case of conflict, along with U.S. Apache Longbow attack helicopters.