The Navy announced on Tuesday that it plans to buy eight advanced multi-purpose helicopters from the U.S.

The eight MH-60R Seahawk choppers will cost a total of US$554 million. They can reach speeds of up to 267 km per hour and can be used for search and rescue operations as well as a range of warfare operations.

Seoul wants to procure them to contain threats from North Korean submarines and naval vessels, according to military sources.