South Korea Is Buying More Combat Helicopters Than Any Other Country, Besides the US

24/7 Wall St. Insights:

• South Korea is buying more combat helicopters than any other nation, besides the United States
• The newest addition to its helicopter fleet is the KAI LAH
• South Korea also has a number of Apache attack helicopters procured from the United States
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South Korea has been on the rise militarily in recent years, making serious additions to its current force. There has even been a push within the country to develop its own attack helicopters domestically as seen in the recent KAI LAH. Outside of the United States military, South Korea is adding way more combat helicopters than any other nation on the planet.

One of the main efforts by South Korea is to develop its newest generation of Light Attack Helicopter (LAH) which has only recently entered service. The LAH developed by Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) is primarily designed for troop transport, search and rescue, and medevac missions. However, it comes equipped with serious firepower as well. (These are the fastest gunship helicopters of the modern era.)

Again, while it is primarily a utility helicopter, the LAH is adaptable and has been developed into armed versions capable of light attack roles. It can be equipped with a 20mm cannon as well as various rocket pods or gun pods. The South Korean government has been supporting the domestic development of helicopters as part of its broader push to reduce reliance on foreign military technology and boost its defense industry.

In addition to the KAI LAH, South Korea is also pushing a fleet of AH-64 Apache helicopters bought from the United States. This Apache fleet has become a critical component of South Korea’s national defense, particularly in the context of potential conflicts on the Korean Peninsula. (These countries have the most Apache attack helicopters.)

24/7 Wall St. is taking a look at other global military forces and what combat helicopters they are buying as well. To identify the countries buying the most attack helicopters, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2024 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry publication. We ranked countries by how many combat helicopters are on order and excluded countries ordering less than 10. We also included supplemental data on the type of aircraft, military branches with aircraft in service, and how many of these aircraft are in active service.

Here is a look at the countries buying the most combat helicopters:

Why Are We Covering This?

Understanding the combat helicopters used by the global military forces provides insight into joint military capabilities and defense strategies. Also knowing what each country has in its arsenal further explains its military capabilities.

44. Brazil

An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter... (CC BY 2.0) by Official U.S. Navy Page

• Combat helicopters on order: 10
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 56
• Variants on order: H225M, S-70

43. Mexico

New Mexico Soldiers practice m... (CC BY 2.0) by DVIDSHUB

• Combat helicopters on order: 11
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 29
• Variants on order: H225M, S-70

42. Cyprus

Helicopter (BY 2.0) by Son of Groucho

• Combat helicopters on order: 12
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 0
• Variants on order: H145

41. Serbia

• Combat helicopters on order: 12
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 9
• Variants on order: H145M, Mi35

40. Slovakia

UH-60M Black Hawk (CC BY-SA 2.0) by slezo

• Combat helicopters on order: 12
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 0
• Variants on order: AH-1Z

39. Taiwan

DSC07218 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by brian25_tw

• Combat helicopters on order: 12
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 17
• Variants on order: S-70/MH-60R

38. Norway

• Combat helicopters on order: 13
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 15
• Variants on order: AW101, S-70

37. Peru

• Combat helicopters on order: 13
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 10
• Variants on order: Mi-17/171, Mi-8/171

36. Hungary

• Combat helicopters on order: 14
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 2
• Variants on order: H225M

35. Netherlands

12th CAB at Allied Spirit I (CC BY 2.0) by 7th Army Training Command

• Combat helicopters on order: 14
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 0
• Variants on order: H225M

34. Czech Republic

• Combat helicopters on order: 17
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 3
• Variants on order: AH-1Z, UH-1Y

33. Thailand

• Combat helicopters on order: 17
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 5
• Variants on order: AH-6i, H145M

32. Israel

• Combat helicopters on order: 18
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 22
• Variants on order: CH-53/K

31. Venezuela

Helicu00f3ptero (BY 2.0) by Cristu00f3bal Alvarado Minic

• Combat helicopters on order: 18
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 0
• Variants on order: Mi-28, Z-9

30. China

• Combat helicopters on order: 23
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 281
• Variants on order: Z-10, Z-19

29. Jordan

Georgia National Guard (CC BY 2.0) by The National Guard

• Combat helicopters on order: 24
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 0
• Variants on order: AH-6i

28. Kazakhstan

Russian search and rescue MI-8 helicopters are seen at the landing site of the Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. Original from NASA. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel. (BY 2.0) by Free Public Domain Illustrations by rawpixel

• Combat helicopters on order: 24
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 22
• Variants on order: H225M, Mi-24/35

27. Austria

Insurgents Driven Out of Shah ... (CC BY 2.0) by ResoluteSupportMedia

• Combat helicopters on order: 27
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 9
• Variants on order: AW169M, S-70

26. United Kingdom

• Combat helicopters on order: 28
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 109
• Variants on order: AH-64D/E, CH-47

25. Argentina

MINISTRO DE DEFENSA ACOMPAu00d1u00d3 AL PRESIDENTE OLLANTA HUMALA EN LA GRAN PARADA MILITAR Y DESFILE Cu00cdVICO (BY 2.0) by Galeru00eda de fotografu00edas del Ministerio de Defensa

• Combat helicopters on order: 29
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 0
• Variants on order: AW109, Bell 407GXi, H125M

24. Egypt

Kamov Ka-52K [unmarked u2013 c/n... (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Alan Wilson

• Combat helicopters on order: 32
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 42
• Variants on order: AW149, AW189, CH-47

23. Morocco

• Combat helicopters on order: 36
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 0
• Variants on order: AH-64E

22. Indonesia

• Combat helicopters on order: 38
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 10
• Variants on order: H225M, S-70i, V-22

21. Philippines

USS Stockdale (DDG 106) transits the Philippine Sea as two MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopters conduct a vertical replenishment-at-sea. (BY 2.0) by Official U.S. Navy Imagery

• Combat helicopters on order: 40
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 19
• Variants on order: S-70i, T129

20. Spain

• Combat helicopters on order: 40
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 51
• Variants on order: CH-47D/F, NH90, S-70

19. United Arab Emirates

Best Army Photos 2 (CC BY 2.0) by Expert Infantry

• Combat helicopters on order: 42
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 30
• Variants on order: AH-64D/E, AW609

18. Qatar

A7-HBO Bell 212 Gulf Helicopters (BY-SA 2.0) by SJByles

• Combat helicopters on order: 43
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 33
• Variants on order: AH-64E, NH90

17. Pakistan

Pakistan military helicopter (BY-SA 2.0) by Al Jazeera English

• Combat helicopters on order: 47
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 3
• Variants on order: T129, Z-10

16. Iraq

• Combat helicopters on order: 48
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 80
• Variants on order: Bell 407, Bell 412, Mi-28, Mi-35

15. Italy

• Combat helicopters on order: 51
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 12
• Variants on order: AW101, AW249

14. Romania

MM1392/EI922 Agusta AH129D Man... (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Colin Cooke Photo

• Combat helicopters on order: 60
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 0
• Variants on order: AH-1Z, UH-1Y

13. Greece

• Combat helicopters on order: 61
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 26
• Variants on order: NH90, S-70

12. Australia

• Combat helicopters on order: 81
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 28
• Variants on order: AH-64E, AW139, S-70

11. Nigeria

• Combat helicopters on order: 82
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 42
• Variants on order: AH-1Z, AW109, Mi-17/171, T129

10. Turkey

• Combat helicopters on order: 93
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 116
• Variants on order: S/T-70, T129

9. Germany

Combined Resolve II (CC BY 2.0) by 7th Army Training Command

• Combat helicopters on order: 94
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 25
• Variants on order: CH-47F, H145, NH90

8. France

• Combat helicopters on order: 100
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 17
• Variants on order: H160/M, H225M

7. Poland

An MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter lands aboard USS Bulkeley. (BY 2.0) by Official U.S. Navy Imagery

• Combat helicopters on order: 155
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 3
• Variants on order: AH-64E, AW101, AW149

6. Japan

• Combat helicopters on order: 170
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 193
• Variants on order: AW101, Bell 412, S-70

5. India

File:Indian Army Dhruv Helicopter at Aero India 2013.JPG (BY-SA 3.0) by Pritishp333

• Combat helicopters on order: 260
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 289
• Variants on order: Dhruv ALH/Rudra, AH-64E, Prachanda

4. Russia

• Combat helicopters on order: 266
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 1057
• Variants on order: Ka-52, Mi-26, Mi-28, Mi-38

3. Saudi Arabia

DA-ST-91-06392 (CC BY 2.0) by U.S. Army Materiel Command

• Combat helicopters on order: 313
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 153
• Variants on order: AH-64A/D/E, CH-47F, H215M

2. South Korea

'Wildcard' battalion trains wi... (CC BY 2.0) by USAG- Humphreys

• Combat helicopters on order: 383
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 143
• Variants on order: Light Attack Helicopter, CH47, S-70

1. United States

APACHE - AH-64D (CC BY 2.0) by USAG- Humphreys

• Combat helicopters on order: 971
• Active combat helicopters in fleet: 5003
• Variants on order: AH-64, CH-47, CH-53, CV/MV-22, S-70