South Korea Imports 1960s Helicopters for Firefighting, Unaware of Accident Records

[Anchor]

This is a continuing report on the acquisition of extra-large wildfire suppression helicopters. Yesterday (September 16), we reported that the first unit to be newly introduced was altered from a brand-new aircraft to a refurbished older military helicopter, with its delivery delayed by a year and a half. However, the problems did not end there. It has now come to light that the Korea Forest Service failed to verify whether the three contracted helicopters had any accident history during their military service or if they had undergone proper maintenance. Despite this, the agency signed an additional contract with the same contractor to purchase four more aircraft.

Reporter Jang Min-seong has the details.

[Reporter Jang Min-seong]

The Korea Forest Service has contracted a total of seven helicopters from a U.S. company.

All are scheduled to be remanufactured from U.S. military helicopters for firefighting operations, but it has been confirmed that the Korea Forest Service has failed to obtain accident histories and maintenance logs from their military service for Units 1, 2, and 3, whose airframes have already been finalized.

Unit 1 was built in the 1980s, while Units 2 and 3 date back to the 1960s.

In its initial request for proposals, the Korea Forest Service explicitly stated that the aircraft must have no history of accidents such as crashes or rollovers, and that they must obtain certification.

Yet, after confirming firsthand during a business trip to the United States in February last year that pre-modification accident logbooks did not exist, officials took no meaningful action.

After SBS launched its investigation, the agency belatedly received a response from the U.S. Department of Defense through the contractor, but even this document contained no detailed accident histories, airframe condition reports, or maintenance records from their military service.

The Korea Forest Service maintains that obtaining records from their military operational period is difficult and that because repairs and refurbishments are conducted during the remanufacturing process, there should be no problem.

[Kim Man-ju, Head of the Forest Aviation Headquarters: "Because they are remanufactured, there is no case where an aircraft in such poor condition that it could not enter civilian service arrives as is."]

However, experts point out that it is difficult to guarantee safety with only the information obtained by the Korea Forest Service, making the likelihood of obtaining proper "certification" slim.

[Choi Yong-hoon, Head of the Aviation Certification Division at the Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology: "(To use an automobile as an analogy) if a car had a history of being flooded, one would be forced to drive it under the uncertainty of never knowing where a problem might emerge."]

While the delivery deadline for Unit 1 was extended by a year and a half to June next year, the deadline for Unit 2 is late November.

With less than three months remaining, issues concerning accident records and certification remain completely unresolved.

The contractor also stated, "Meeting the delivery deadline is difficult under current circumstances," adding, "We may have to pay liquidated damages and postpone delivery."

Despite these mounting issues, the Korea Forest Service actually expanded the scope of the project in January, signing an additional contract with the same firm to procure four more extra-large helicopters, Units 4 through 7.

The contract amount alone is approximately 200 billion won.

The problem is that the contractor's ability to fulfill the contract remains deeply questionable.

Following the package contract for the four aircraft, the company failed to pay the performance bond of about 10 billion won.

Although the Korea Forest Service extended the payment deadline through July, the deposit has still not been paid.

[Kang Doo-won, Attorney specializing in government contracts and aviation: "This could be seen as preferential treatment. In domestic transactions, contract performance bonds are paid immediately upon contract signing, whether through guarantees or in cash."]

The contractor explained that payment has been delayed because the deposit amount grew significantly, denying that it received preferential treatment.

(Video by Seol Min-hwan | Video Editing by Lee Hong-myeong | Design by Park Tae-young and Lee Jun-ho | Produced by Kim Do-gyun and Han Seung-ho | XR by Choi Jae-young and Park Cheon-woong | VJ: Kim Jun-ho | Data courtesy of the Office of Rep. Yoon Joon-byeong | Video courtesy of Columbia Helicopters YouTube | YouTube and social media sources: Jarasum Younggoo, Jirisan Sancheong Sari, Bicha and Naltul, Film Master)

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[Anchor]

The first helicopter has failed to arrive properly, and with less than three months remaining before the delivery deadline for Unit 2, receiving it on schedule is practically impossible. Concerns are mounting immediately ahead of the autumn "Wildfire Caution Period." Can these extra-large helicopters, brought in specifically for nighttime firefighting operations, actually be deployed in the field?

Reporter No Yu-jin investigates.

[Reporter No Yu-jin]

In pitch darkness where one cannot see an inch ahead, when a wildfire erupts and thick smoke billows, poor visibility makes it extremely difficult to operate helicopters.

In fact, SBS conducted a comprehensive analysis of more than 12,000 flight logs spanning 12 years across all 63 helicopters operated by the Korea Forest Service, obtained through a freedom of information request.

There were only 10 instances where helicopters launched during the day and continued firefighting operations into the night.

There was not a single record of an initial takeoff taking place after sunset.

The Korea Forest Service has been acquiring helicopters equipped with night vision goggles, thermal imaging cameras, and large-capacity water tanks to overcome these limitations in night operations, yet even the aircraft delivered early this year has never been deployed at night.

The Korea Forest Service explains that operational circumstances did not call for nighttime helicopter flights.

However, nighttime wildfires this year have nearly doubled compared to the 10-year average, occurring frequently in the spring.

The problem is the autumn wildfire caution period fast approaching.

In the autumn of last year, a major wildfire broke out in Inje, Gangwon Province.

Around 300 personnel, including wildfire fighters, were deployed, but steep mountain terrain made it impossible to halt the fire from spreading overnight.

Only after daybreak, when 25 helicopters were dispatched in large numbers, were the flames finally brought under control.

In the meantime, 37 hectares—an area equivalent to 51 soccer fields—were reduced to ashes.

[Lee Chang-woo, Professor Emeritus of Fire and Disaster Protection at Soongsil Cyber University: "Fires must be suppressed in their early stages. One must maintain a posture capable of immediate suppression when fires break out in the evening or at night to minimize damage."]

During last autumn alone, 53 wildfires burned an area equivalent to 102 soccer fields, but it remains uncertain whether the helicopter temporarily provided to the Korea Forest Service by the U.S. contractor can be deployed this autumn.

Because it belongs to a U.S. company, South Korean pilots cannot fly it, and under the contract, flight crews are supplied only during the spring season.

Operating it in the autumn requires additional negotiations with the firm, but discussions have not even begun.

[Lee Seong-gwan, Head of the Aviation Maintenance Division at the Forest Aviation Headquarters: "Bringing in flight crews during that period (autumn) incurs costs for the manufacturer, so it is unclear how negotiations will proceed."]

It has now been four years since the project to acquire extra-large helicopters was launched to combat nighttime wildfires and other major blazes.

Yet it remains entirely uncertain what past accident histories the incoming helicopters may have, whether they will obtain proper certification, and consequently whether they will be delivered on time.

The Korea Forest Service merely maintains that if the contractor fails to meet the terms, it can simply terminate the contract.

[Lee Seong-gwan, Head of the Aviation Maintenance Division at the Forest Aviation Headquarters: "If they do not fulfill the contract as agreed, we will have no choice but to say we will terminate the contract..."]

A mega-scale disaster response project involving more than 320 billion won in national taxpayer funds is faltering amid lax contracts and irresponsible governance.

(Video by Seol Min-hwan | Video Editing by Lee Hong-myeong | Design by Park Tae-young and Lee Jun-ho | Produced by Kim Do-gyun and Han Seung-ho | XR by Choi Jae-young and Park Cheon-woong | VJ: Kim Jun-ho | Data courtesy of the Office of Rep. Yoon Joon-byeong | Video courtesy of Columbia Helicopters YouTube | YouTube and social media sources: Jarasum Younggoo, Jirisan Sancheong Sari, Bicha and Naltul, Film Master)

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[Anchor]

Joining us in the studio is Reporter Bae Yeo-woon from the investigative reporting team, who covered this issue.

Q. Why did the Korea Forest Service agree to modify the contract?

[Reporter Bae Yeo-woon: "This scale model represents the very helicopter from that U.S. company currently housed in the Korea Forest Service hangar. Because it is owned by a U.S. company, our pilots cannot fly it, but an extra-large helicopter capable of carrying 10,000 liters of water at once is indeed essential equipment at wildfire scenes. The problem arose because the Korea Forest Service agreed to amend the contract without thoroughly examining the contractor's faults. The agency explains that at the time of the contract, there was only one model of extra-large helicopter that could be purchased within budget without certification issues, but its production was halted starting in 2024, leaving no alternatives. They explain that canceling the contract and restarting procurement would leave a vacuum in firefighting capabilities in the interim, so they opted for a contract amendment instead of cancellation."]

Q. Have investigative and inspection authorities launched inquiries?

[Reporter Bae Yeo-woon: "First, a corruption report was filed with the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, where an investigation is currently underway. The central focus of the probe is whether the process of switching from purchasing new helicopters to acquiring remanufactured military aircraft that had been operated for over 40 years was appropriate, and whether the purchase price was reasonable. The Board of Audit and Inspection has also intervened. It has included this acquisition project in its regular audit of the Korea Forest Service and is conducting a full-scale investigation."]

Q. Are there alternatives for wildfire suppression helicopters?

[Reporter Bae Yeo-woon: "In the short term, the Korea Forest Service plans to boost the operational rate of its existing helicopters and lease additional helicopters from overseas. However, experts point out that with the acquisition project already delayed and certification issues uncertain, both the approach and methodology for future helicopter procurement must change. Rather than scrambling to secure budgets and buy aircraft after the fact every time a major disaster strikes—like mending the barn after the horse has bolted—a long-term roadmap must be established. Furthermore, there is an urgent need to build a system that rigorously pre-verifies aircraft safety, past operational histories, and certification status."]

(Video by Seol Min-hwan | Video Editing by Lee Hong-myeong | Design by Park Tae-young and Lee Jun-ho | Produced by Kim Do-gyun and Han Seung-ho | XR by Choi Jae-young and Park Cheon-woong | VJ: Kim Jun-ho | Data courtesy of the Office of Rep. Yoon Joon-byeong | Video courtesy of Columbia Helicopters YouTube | YouTube and social media sources: Jarasum Younggoo, Jirisan Sancheong Sari, Bicha and Naltul, Film Master)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.