KAH-106 Bonghwang

KAH-106 Bonghwang
KAH-106 Bonghwang flies over Gwangju Metropolitan City.
Role	Attack helicopter
National origin	Joseon
Manufacturer	Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd.
First flight	January 14 2006
Introduction	9 April 2009
Status	In service
Primary user	Royal Joseon Army
Produced	2006-2020

The Korea Aerospace Industries KAH-106 Bonghwang is a Joseon's twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. Nose-mounted sensors help acquire targets and provide night vision. It carries a 30 mm (1.18 in) KM208 chain gun under its forward fuselage and 4 hardpoints on stub-wing pylons for armament and stores, typically AGM-41 missiles and Doksa-70 rocket pods. Redundant systems help it survive combat damage.

The KAH-106 began to be developed in 2001 as the army's next-generation large attack helicopter, with the first prototype flying in 2006. Today, KAH-106 has been extensively improved to ensure its viability and diversify its role as drones expand their role on the battlefield.

Development

Until the early 2000s, the main attack helicopter of the Royal Joseon Army was the KH-601 'Chamsae' equipped with anti-tank missiles and rockets. However, the KH-601 did not escape the basic limits of a lightweight reconnaissance helicopter, and even the slightest bad weather, which could be easily overcome by a large helicopter, was a threat to the KH-601.

The Royal Joseon Armed Forces felt the need for a more effective large attack helicopter to replace KH-601. The Joseon military noted that Neo-Korea's helicopters at the time of the Invasion of Jungg'o effectively deterred Jungg'o's troops. It proved that attack helicopters were effective in deterring large numbers of troops with only a few troops on the battlefield. Eventually, the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly approved the Ministry of Defense's plan to develop a new attack helicopter.

Korea Aerospace Industries(KAI), which was the main contractor of the project, had to design a completely new aircraft frame. This was because none of Joseon's existing helicopters were suitable for converting to attack helicopters. After the project began, it took three years for the basic design of the aircraft to be finalized. To meet the military's demand to quickly replace KH-601, KAI immediately started the entire process needed to prototype after the design was finalized.

The first prototype of the new attack helicopter, the XH-106, made its first flight on January 14, 2006. However, the project faced a crisis when the budget for new attack helicopters was drastically cut in the 2007 Ministry of Defense budget, during which the Ministry of Defense and the Army strongly appealed the need for an attack helicopter while delaying the purchase budget for the new tank until next year to prevent budget cuts. Eventually, the budget for the new attack helicopter remained the same during the 2007 budget review process, and the budget for the new tank was maintained due to the National Assembly's National Defense Committee's criticism, resulting in the Army protecting the project without losing money.