Three South Korean Navy officers have been detained by the government over suspicions of filing false assessment reports on AgustaWestland helicopters.

The helicopters were AW-159 Wildcats, which the military has selected to replace Lynx helicopters now in service. Rejected in the contract bid was the Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopter.

The JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported the three officers – two Navy Reserve and one active duty -- were in charge of testing candidate products from August to November 2012 and are suspected of completing the reports on the AgustaWestland aircraft before they had even been manufactured.

The officers reportedly only tested a similar Army helicopter with added weight attached and watching simulator results for completely different models.

"According to documents submitted by AgustaWestland, the duration of the flight and the torpedo capacity of the Wildcats hardly meet the required operational characteristics suggested by the Korean military," the newspaper reported, citing the investigation team. "The manufacturer was required to present further data but did not respond."

The three Navy officers reportedly insisted that they drew up the false report on orders from their superiors.

Three other Navy officers have also been detained as part of the investigation, the newspaper added.

South Korea has planned to purchase eight of the AgustaWestland helicopters next year and is developing 12 more. There was no indication in the newspaper report if the current investigation will impair the planned procurement.