U.S. to deploy four ultramodern copters in Korea

The United States is poised to deploy in Korea four MH47E helicopters equipped with the latest high-tech equipment and capable of nighttime and long-range operations.

Korean military sources said Monday that U.S. and Korean military authorities had agreed on the deployment of the U.S. Army Special Warfare Command choppers in the rear area. The use of the helicopters here is in line with a Korea-U.S. joint military operations plan that was drawn up three years ago. Other sources said the MH47E is capable of flying at speeds of up to 300 km an hour with over 40 soldiers aboard. Equipped with missiles and other weapons, the helicopter has a range of as much as 3,700 km if refueled in the air.

Lee Chol-Hi klimt@donga.com