South Korea has effectively abandoned a long-planned second purchase of 36 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters after lawmakers slashed the project’s 2025 allocation from 10 billion won (about US$7.3 million) to 300 million won (US$220,000) in a supplementary budget passed this week. The reduction leaves the programme without sufficient funds to proceed, according to opposition legislator Yoo Yong-won, who disclosed the figures. The helicopter order—approved in principle by the U.S. State Department last August at an estimated cost of US$3.5 billion—was intended to double the Republic of Korea Army’s Apache fleet and replace ageing AH-1S Cobras. Defence officials say soaring costs, coupled with lessons from recent conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, have prompted a reassessment of the role of manned attack helicopters on modern battlefields. Remaining funds are expected to be redirected to unmanned aerial systems and other AI-enabled capabilities. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff began reviewing manned-unmanned teaming options in May, and the latest budget decision signals a formal pivot toward drones and related technologies. Although Korea Aerospace Industries continues to build Apache fuselages for Boeing, the cancellation underscores the military’s broader shift in procurement priorities.