(Yonhap Feature) S. Korea's new Apache chopper makes its debut in live-fire war game

By Lee Chi-dong

POCHEON, Gyeonggi Province, April 26 (Yonhap) -- Two AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters from the South Korean Army fired aerial rockets and ammunitions from chain guns at mock targets, as four M1A2 Bradley fighting vehicles from the United States streamed down mountain roads firing artillery rounds.

The powerful show of force was followed by firing the U.S. M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), rarely open to the public, in one of the largest integrated live-fire exercises of the allies in recent years.

The booms of gunnery echoed through the hills filled with plumes of smoke from explosions near the tense inter-Korean border.

Apaches and the MLRS are known as the allied armies' weapons most feared by North Korea.

Staged at a training range in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday, the spectacular display of firepower involved more than 2,000 South Korean and American troops.

It featured around 30 fighter jets, 90 battle tanks and armored vehicles, 30 choppers and 100 heavy guns, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

"I think it's absolutely amazing. I was able to work with the ROK Army and be on the same page," 1st Lt. Steven Porter of the 2nd Infantry Division's 66th Armored Regiment said in an interview. ROK is the acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

He added it's a "very important exercise" to help keep the allies ready to "fight tonight" and see how they will be working together in actual combat.

It came amid increased tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with the Kim Jong-un regime ratcheting up military threats and the Trump administration taking a tough line against Pyongyang.

The North had its own massive live-fire artillery drill Tuesday in the vicinity of the eastern border with the South, commemorating the founding anniversary of its armed forces.

Earlier this month, the North showed off its major weaponry in a parade in Pyongyang presided over by leader Kim Jong-un.

The 45-minute war games-style exercise of South Korea and the U.S. opened under a scenario of North blitzkrieg attacks on five South Korean guard posts.

It took place at Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, some 30 kilometers south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas technically still at war.

South Korean K-55 and K-9 155-mm self-propelled howitzers, together with its 130-mm multiple rocket launchers, were the first to respond.

Their artillery shells never missed the mock target just right of the No. 9 mark in the vast firing range.

After that, three F-15K and three FA-50 fighters dropped bombs at mock enemy missile bases detected by drones and RF-16 reconnaissance aircraft.

The next victims were mock Northern mechanized units.

Four A-10 Thunderbolt attack planes and four AH-64D Apache Longbows of the U.S. military, both nicknamed "tank-killers," bombarded tank-shaped targets on hillsides with live rounds, joined by K-2 Black Panther and K1A2 battle tanks on the ground, a dramatic scene witnessed from a distance by Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn, Defense Minister Han Min-koo, thousands of local residents and a host of reporters and TV crew.

It's just a preview of the firepower that North Korean troops would face heading south in an invasion, South Korean military officials said.

The allied forces were also quick in launching a simulated mechanized assault deep into North Korea's territory.

In the maneuver, South Korea's own Apache helicopters made their public debut.

Hovering above the training ground, two AH-64E Guardians, supported by six AH-1S Cobra copters, pounded targets about 1.2 kilometers ahead with rockets and ammunition, although more powerful Hellfire missiles were not used.

It marked the first time for their live-fire practice to be shown to the public.

The latest upgraded Apache model is one of the South Korean Army's iconic newly acquired weapons along with the indigenous K-239 Chunmoo artillery rocket system, known as K-MLRS.

The Army created two Apache battalions, composed of a total of 36 choppers, late last year.

"We are in the process of training pilots. Our new Apache helicopters will be put into full service in the latter half of this year," the Army said.

U.S. Forces Korea has also deployed 38 AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters on the peninsula.

The war game was crowned by an infiltration into the heart of the enemy by a unit of commandos rappelling to the ground from two KUH-1 Surion transport helicopters.

Soon afterward, green-colored flares erupted, signaling mission accomplished.

"This exercise was a good opportunity to reinforce the capability for South Korea-U.S. combined operations," said Lt. Col. Chung Seung-ho, commander of the 5th Corp.'s artillery battery. "Based on the robust joint defense posture, our military will continue to thoroughly defend South Korea from any attack."

The Army started such joint live-fire practice drills with the U.S. in 1977. They had similar drills in 1987, 1989, 2008 and 2015. Around 28,500 American troops are currently stationed here.

In particular, this week's practice was organized to show off the allies' military might amid the North's unrelenting saber-rattling.

It test-launched a series of ballistic missiles this year in a breach of U.N. Security Council resolutions, a provocation coupled with continued war threats.

By staging the firing show, South Korea and the U.S. sent a strong warning message to the North's regime: Do not miscalculate our power.

"I am so proud to have participated in the exercise this time to demonstrate the strong combat power of South Korea-U.S. allied forces," Sfc. Ham Tae-mo, vice platoon leader of the 8th Division's tank battalion. "I have gained the confidence that we will be able to win any combat."

Meanwhile, a bevy of major heavy weapons were on display at the training site, including the Paladin M109A6 artillery system and ARTHUR-K counter-battery radar.

lcd@yna.co.kr
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