Politics · South Korea · 5 hrs ago
South Korea grounds Apache helicopters during transmission inspections
South Korea’s Army grounded its Apache helicopters in early October after receiving a U.S. safety advisory about a possible transmission problem.
The fleet has 36 AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters, which support the military’s air-to-ground defense.
U.S. authorities have begun inspecting the helicopters, and routine training flights are paused during the checks.
The advisory follows technical assessments by the U.S. Army and comes after two Apache crashes: one in Texas in August that killed two soldiers, and another near the Strait of Hormuz in June.
South Korea’s Army says its readiness and operational posture are not affected by the grounding.
Flights will resume in stages based on inspection results, the Army says.
South Korea’s Army has temporarily grounded its AH-64E Apache helicopters while U.S. authorities inspect their transmission systems for a possible defect.
The grounding began in early October after the Army received a safety advisory from the U.S. military.
Routine training flights are paused, but the helicopters remain ready for an immediate operational launch in a contingency.
The Army says operations will resume in phases based on inspection results and that its readiness and operational posture are not affected.
South Korea operates 36 Apache helicopters.
- Who
- South Korea’s Army and U.S. authorities.
- What
- South Korea has temporarily grounded its AH-64E Apache helicopters during inspections of their transmission systems for a possible malfunction.
- When
- The grounding began in early October. The U.S. inspections were reported as underway on Nov. 10, 2026.
- Where
- South Korea.
- Why
- The Army received a U.S. military safety advisory about the transmission component, prompting the grounding as a safety precaution.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
An Apache helicopter went down during a patrol operation near the Strait of Hormuz for reasons that have not been identified.
An Apache helicopter crashed in Texas, killing two U.S. soldiers.
South Korea’s Army grounded its Apache fleet after receiving a U.S. military safety advisory about the transmission component.
Yonhap reported that U.S. authorities had begun inspections of the South Korean fleet.
- Fleet size
- 36 Apache helicopters
- Model
- AH-64E Apache Guardian
- Grounding began
- Early October
- Inspection focus
- Transmission system
- Texas crash toll
- Two U.S. soldiers killed
- Reported date
- Nov. 10, 2026
What people are saying
As a safety precaution, the Army temporarily grounded the fleet in early October (for the U.S. side) to conduct technical inspections in phases.
Operations will resume sequentially based on the inspection results.
There are currently no issues with our readiness or operational posture.