The Philippines government became the third customer for the AW-159 (after the UK and RoK) on 29 March 2016 when defence secretary Voltaire T.
Up to 40 amphibious KUH-1s are expected to be produced with the first deliveries starting in 2017. This variant first flew on 19 January and when delivered it will be fitted with a folding main rotor, a floatation system and an auxiliary fuel tank to give it a good littoral ship-to-shore range. It is also planned for the Republic of Korea Marine Corps (RoKMC) to operate the Korea Aerospace Industry’s (KAI) KUH-1 Surion medium-lift utility helicopter in an amphibious troop carrying role aboard its ‘Dokdo’ class amphibious assault ships. The RoKN has had four of these aircraft delivered with four more to arrive before the end of the year. A Wildcat HMA.2 helicopter of the Fleet Air Arm’s 700(W) Naval Air Squadron conducting flying trials near HMS Monmouth in 2013. The final four AW-159s should be delivered by the end of 2016. Additional roles will include Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), and Search and Rescue (SAR). The Wildcats are expected to be armed with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’ Spike NLOS air-to-surface missiles, the Korea Agency for Defence Development’s indigenous K-745 Cheong Sangeo (Blue Shark) lightweight torpedoes and depth charges. The RoKN received the first four of eight AW-159s in June which will be operated from the force’s ‘Incheon’ class frigates once they have achieved operational clearance. The Seaspray 7000E provides the operator with a multi-mode air-to-surface, air-to-air and air-to-ground surveillance capability, along with weather detection. The helicopter’s mission systems will include the Thales Compact FLASH Sonics low-frequency, long-range dipping sonar system and the Selex/Leonardo Seaspray-7000E X-band (8.5-10.68GHz/Gighertz) maritime surveillance radar, which is also integrated on the Royal Navy’s Wildcat HMA.2 (the local designation for the AW-159) aircraft. On 15 June the first four AW-159s arrived in the RoK and will begin the usual flight and weapons testing before they are fully accepted for service during 2017. The decision to quickly acquire a helicopter capable of Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stemmed from the sinking of the ROKS Cheonan, a ‘Pohang’ class corvette, on 26 March 2010, which a Joint Civilian-Military Investigation Group, involving experts from Australia, Canada, Sweden, the UK and the US, concluded was a result of a torpedo attack from a Korean People’s Navy (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s naval force) submarine. The AW-159s are expected to operate from the RoKN’s ‘Incheon’ class frigates that have been replacing the fleet’s older ‘Pohang’ class corvettes and ‘Ulsan’ class frigates. Reasons for the decision include the fact that the RoKN (RoK Navy) is already an operator of the old AgustaWestland/Leonardo Lynx Mk.99/A and that the contract negotiations directly with the European company proved more favourable than dealing directly with the US government through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process, the latter process being necessary for the potential acquisition of the SH-60R. The Defence Acquisition Programme Administration, which oversees defence procurement for the RoK, placed an order for eight AW-159 HMA2 Wildcat naval support helicopters in January 2013, ousting the perceived Sikorsky SH-60R Seahawk favourite. The first international sales success for Leonardo Helicopters came as a result of winning the Republic of Korea’s (RoK) Maritime Operational Helicopter programme.
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