Photo: Korea Forest Aviation Headquarters Chinooks Make South Korea Firefighting Debut Global contracts ensure little downtime for aerial firefighting operators. By Mark Huber From February to May 2024, Montana-based Billings Flying Service (BFS) sent five of its Boeing CH-47D Chinook tandem-rotor Category 1 helicopters to fight fires in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) under a contract with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ Korea Forest Service (KFS). It was the first time the KFS had employed CH-47s on fires. The helicopters were each equipped with a 2,500-gal. Kawak internal tank and snorkel system that can refill in 48 seconds. Forests cover more than 60% of South Korea and wildfires there in recent years have become increasingly destructive. The Uljin forest fire in 2022 burned for six weeks, consuming more than 50,000 acres and threatening a liquefied natural gas facility and a nuclear power plant. A combined fleet of 137 helicopters from the KFS, the South Korean military, and the US Army were required to extinguish the blaze. BFS flew the helicopters to Seattle, Washington, where they were prepared for the two-week sea shipment to South Korea’s Port of Busan. In Seattle, two days were required to disassemble the aircraft and pack the spares containers for shipping, with another two days in Busan to reverse the process. The spares packages included everything from major components to “extra nuts and bolts,” according to Katrina Miller, BFS director of business development. Each aircraft went with a crew including two pilots, three mechanics, an English-speaking translator, and a parts-support assistant. Miller says the main difference between fighting fires in the United States and Korea was the language difference. “Communications is one of the most critical components of a successful mission, which we understood. Our team retained highly skilled interpreters to perform at each base and remain with each aircraft team for the entirety of our assignment.” BFS currently operates six CH-47Ds in the restricted category and is in the process of integrating six more, acquired from the Netherlands Ministry of Defence, into its fleet. Those aircraft are expected to become operational this summer. BFS successfully completed FAA flight testing for that portion of the certification process. Miller says the final steps for gaining approval are “forthcoming.” “We are thankful to have support from both FAA representatives and congressional constituents who all worked tirelessly to see this project through to completion,” Miller says. She adds that the CH-47s have performed well for the company, with a readiness rate exceeding 98%. “We were honored to partner with the Korea Forest Service during their 2024 fire season.” Mark Huber is an aviation journalist with more than two decades of experience in the vertical flight industry.
