Bradley Perrett covered China, Japan, South Korea and Australia. He is a Mandarin-speaking Australian.
Before joining Aviation Week in 2006 he was a macroeconomics, politics and aerospace journalist with Reuters. Perrett holds a bachelor’s degree in law from Macquarie University, Sydney. He left Aviation Week in 2020.
BEIJING — South Korean decisions announced this week confirm that the country will considerably strengthen its rotary-wing force over the coming decade. The South Korean army will take delivery of 36 Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters between 2016 and 2018, the government says, announcing a long-expected decision to buy the aircraft. The country’s marine corps, meanwhile, has taken a step toward finally getting the helicopter force that it has been campaigning for, with the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) Surion lined up for an order.
BAE Systems will train aviation technicians and maintainers for the Australian defense forces under an A$107 million ($113 million) contract covering the next five years. About 900 students a year will be trained in courses conducted at the Royal Australian Air Force’s base at Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, says the minister for defense material, Mike Kelly.
The South Korean government is looking at backing development of a business jet as the foundation of a national industry capable of building its own complete civil transports. If the program goes ahead, possibly in a year or two, the manufacturer will be Korea Aerospace Industries.
