Korea, U.S. launch joint MRO project for CH-47 Chinook helicopter engine maintenance

Home > National > Defense

Korea, U.S. launch joint MRO project for CH-47 Chinook helicopter engine maintenance

Published: 22 Jul. 2025, 17:27 Updated: 22 Jul. 2025, 19:36

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Lee Gap-su, head of Korea’s Ministry of National Defense's logistics management bureau, left, poses for a commemorative photo with Lisa Smith, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for product support, and Maj. Gen. Frederick Crist, director of logistics at U.S. Forces Korea, during the 57th U.S.-Korea Joint Logistics Committee meeting. [MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE]

The defense agencies of Korea and the United States will kick off a pilot maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) project on the CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter engine as part of the two countries' enhanced arms cooperation, Korean authorities said Tuesday.

The decision follows growing efforts to expand Korea’s capabilities in high-level defense maintenance and is expected to bolster both national defense readiness and the local defense industry.

The decision was made during the 57th Logistics Cooperation Committee (LCC) meeting, a regular bilateral forum for military logistics issues between Korea and the United States, held in Seoul on Tuesday, according to Korea's Ministry of National Defense.

The meeting was co-chaired by Lee Gap-su, head of Korea’s Defense Ministry's logistics management bureau, and Lisa Smith, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for product support.

Following the rollout of an MRO pilot project for naval vessels in 2024, the two sides agreed to extend the initiative to aircraft, selecting the Chinook’s engine as a shared platform to begin with.

With the selection, overhaul-level maintenance of Chinook engines operated by the U.S. Army could be performed in Korea, offering an opportunity to local firms to develop capacity in depot-level, or “organic,” maintenance — the most advanced level of repair capability.

“By expanding the participation of Korean defense firms in MRO services, the program is expected to enhance the Korea-U.S. alliance, strengthen combined force readiness and contribute to the development of the local defense industry,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

In Tuesday's meeting, both sides acknowledged the need for stable logistics support to maintain combat readiness amid evolving regional threats, including unpredictable supply chains and increasing regional conflicts, according to the ministry. The U.S. Department of Defense has reportedly emphasized the importance of leveraging allied MRO capabilities in the Indo-Pacific to mitigate those challenges, and has been cooperating with Korea accordingly.

From Wednesday through Friday, Korean and U.S. representatives are scheduled to visit defense companies in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, and Gumi, North Gyeongsang, to assess their ability to support future MRO projects. The two governments are expected to identify new areas for joint MRO collaboration in addition to the current helicopter and naval programs.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO, LEE YU-JUNG [[email protected]]