Attack helicopters are one of the deadliest forms of traditional combat, but that platform seems to be getting phased out in favor of another weapon of choice.
The famed AH-64E Apache, prominent in the U.S. fleet, is a force to be reckoned with. The U.K. Ministry of Defense deems it „the most advanced Attack Helicopter in the world“, but like its rotor-whiring kin, it has a challenging future ahead in a battlefield dominated by drones. As though to emphasize this, a deal for 36 Apaches, worth approximately $2.2 billion, was canceled by South Korea in July 2025. Explaining the decision, South Korea made plain that it had doubts about the future of attack helicopters. „Rather than clinging to expensive legacy platforms, we must invest in capabilities that reflect the future of warfare“, People Power Party representative Yu Yong-weon told The Korea Times. The priority would instead be „to invest in drones and other cutting-edge systems.“
In the realm of attack helicopters, the Apache is certainly a cutting-edge system. At a price of approximately $52 million each, though, it’s an increasingly difficult one to justify. A loss of a single Apache can be a calamity, while many low-cost drones can overwhelm opposing anti-air defenses through sheer numbers.
The war in Ukraine has been marked by such heavy use of drones, and so creative means to destroy them have been sought. In May 2025, BBC News reporter Yogita Limaye spoke with some members of the Ukrainian 68th Jaeger Brigade in Rodynkse. In response to the rise in usage of the deadly fiber optic drones, which are connected to their operator physically and cannot be jammed in the same fashion as their more conventional counterparts, one of them quipped, „maybe we should carry scissors to cut the cord.
