| Republic Of Korea Air Force |
Article Index for Republic Of |
Limousines in Republic |
Website Links For Republic |
Information AboutRepublic Of Korea Air Force |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT REPUBLIC OF KOREA AIR FORCE | |
| republic of korea air force | |
| air forces | |
| korea, republic ofrepublic of korea air force | |
| air forces | |
| korea, republic of | |
| military of south korea | |
| air force | |
| air forces | |
| korea, republic of | |
| aviation in south korea | |
|
The Republic of Korea Air Force ('''ROK Air Force''', '''ROKAF''', of South Korea. It operates under the Ministry of National Defense. The ROKAF is an modern air force, which has 700 modern has 300 more aircraft but most of them are obsolete Soviet and Chinese origin. HISTORY Founding Years Shortly after the end of WWII , the Korean Air Construction Association was founded in 1946 by air-affiliated people to publicize the importance of air power. Despite the then-scanty status of Korean armed forces, the first air unit was formed on May 5 , 1948 under the direction of Dong Wi-bu, the fore-runner to modern Korean Ministry of National Defence. On September 13 1949 , the United States contributed 10 L-4 Grasshopper to the Korean air unit. An Army Air Academy was founded on January, 1949, and ROKAF was officially founded on October, 1949. The outbreak of Korean War and the 1950 s The 1950s were critical time for ROKAF, as it had expanded tremendously during the , along with a contingent of US Air Force instructor pilots under the command of Major Dean Hess . ROKAF participated in Pyeongyang Mass bombing operations and flew independent sorties. After the war, the ROKAF Headquarters was moved to Daebangdong, Seoul . Air Force University was also founded in 1956. The 1960 s To counter the threat of possible North Korean aggression, ROKAF underwent a substantial capability enhancement. ROKAF acquired T-28 Trojan trainers, F-86D all-weather interceptors, F-5A/B fighters and F-4D fighter bombers. Air Force Operations Command was established in 1961 to secure efficient command and control facilities. Air Force logistics Command was established in 1966, and emergency runways were constructed for emergency use during wartime. Eunma Unit was founded in 1966 to aid the United States during the Vietnam War . The 1970 s ROKAF was posed with a security risk, with increasingly belligerent North Korea throughout the 1970s. The South Korean government increased its expenditure on the ROKAF, resulting in purchase of F-5E fighters (August 1974) and F-4E fighter bombers. Support aircraft, such as C-123 Provider s and S-2 Tracker s were also purchased at the time. Great emphasis was placed in the flight training program; new trainer aircraft ( T-41 Mescalero and Cessna T-37 ) purchased, and Air Force Education & Training Command was also founded in 1973 to consolidate and enhance the quality of personnel training. The 1980 s and 1990 s ROKAF concentrated on qualitative expansion of aircraft to catch up to the strength of North Korean Air Force. In 1982, Korean variants of F-5E, Jegong-ho ( was hosted, ROKAF contributed to the successful hosting of the event by helping to oversee the entire security detail. ROKAF also moved the headquarters and Air Force Education & Training Command. 40 F-16C/D fighters, advanced versions of F-16C/D Block 32, were introduced in 1989. South Korean committed its support for the Coalition force during the Gulf War . Bima Unit was formed to participate in Operation Desert Storm. ROKAF also provided Airlift support for Peacekeeping Operations in Somalia in 1993. The increased participation in international operations depicted the ROKAF's elevated international position. Over 140 KF-16C/D fighters, advanced versions of F-16C/D Block 52, was introduced as part of the Peace Bridge II & III program from 1994. In 1997, for the first time in Korean aviation history, female cadets were accepted into the Air Force Academy . Present was recently changed to more closely resemble the national flag]] South Korea maintains a modern air force in order to defend itself from various modes of threats, including the North Korean Army , which fields about twice as many aircraft (of mostly obsolescent types). As of 2005 , it operated more than 180 KF-16C/D s, 234 F-5A/B/E/F s, 130 F-4D/E s, 18 F-15Ks with the rest of the 22 being delivered by June 2008 , and a number of South Korean made KAI A-50 s among its Combat Aircraft . The Korean variant of F-15E were named F-15K ''Slam Eagles''. South Korea became one of the world's few aircraft exporters when it exported 19 KT-1 B indigenous training aircraft to Indonesia in 2003. Korean Aerospace Industries , the South Korean national aerospace company, has plans to export more KT-1 and T-50 trainer aircraft. The Republic of Korea Air Force also expressed interests in acquiring the RQ-4 Global Hawk and Joint Direct Attack Munition kits to further improve their intelligence and offensive capabilities. ORDER OF BATTLE
CURRENT PROJECTS F-X fighter program F-X Phase 1 One of the most recent additions to the ROKAF is F-15K Slam Eagle (), an advanced derivative of the F-15E Strike Eagle which fulfilled the requirements of the "F-X" next generation fighter program in 2002 . The F-15K was chosen over the Dassault Rafale , the Eurofighter Typhoon , and the Sukhoi Su-35 . Although the Rafale received more favorable reviews by the senior military officials, the F-15K was chosen at the end due to the easier process of unit integration since the ROKAF already has existing stockpiles of weapons that can be used with the F-15K more easily than with Rafale. On June 7, 2006, an F-15K crashed off the coast of Pohang , North Gyeongsang Province, S. Korea, during a nighttime intercept training mission, killing both pilots on board. The ROKAF commissioned a full investigation, lasting several months. The Republic of Korea Air Force later issued a public statement saying that the accident was apparently caused by both crew members entering a state of g-loc that lasted 16 seconds and resulted in loss of control of the aircraft. Subsequent public outcry ensued with accusations of a cover-up. Various Discussions included 1. the blackbox (ECSMU) was not recovered, due to the great depth (1200ft)of the crash site. 2. F-15Ks are NOT equipped with automatic GLC (G Limited Control anti-gloc device) systems, and 3. the pilots were both seasoned Air Force veterans and the claim that both of them simultaneously lost consciousness for 16 seconds seemed unlikely. (The normal time for gloc is between 2 to 3 seconds). Other factors considered in the investigation were the cloudy weather conditions, pilot workload , night mission with the use of NVG's ( night vision goggles). Flight control actuators and major engine parts that were found and analyzed as part of the investigation which ruled out mechanical problems with the aircraft. {Link without Title} F-X Phase 2 The South Korean Government plans to purchase 20 multirole aircraft by 2009 for the second phase of the F-X project. Currently, the Boeing F-15K is the only candidate, and has likely been chosen. F-X Phase 3 The third phase of the F-X project is a bid for an advanced multirole strike-fighter aircraft by 2015. The rumored pruchase number is 20-40 aircraft, and the F-35 is currently the only candidate. E-X Early warning aircraft program The E-X Early Warning aircraft program was a project undertaken by ROKAF to purchase early warning aircraft to strengthen ROKAF's ability to detect and distinguish both friendly and hostile aircraft. The two candidates for this program were Boeing Wedgetail , military variants of Boeing 737 , and Gulfstream G500/G550 , developed by General Dynamics . The variant of Boeing 737 was offered by the United States, whereas the variant of Gulfstream of G500/G550 was offered by Israel. Originally, ROKAF expressed interest in the Gulfstream as it was cheaper than the Boeing counterpart. The Gulfstream was, in turn, less capable than the 737. However, the fact that almost no other nations, barring Japan, has advanced AWACS gave the Koreans the impression that the Gulfstream would be adequate enough to handle the given task of the E-X project. In response to ROKAF's favor of the Israeli version of Gulfstream's lower cost, the United States issued a warning to the Israelis that several of the AWACS technologies employed aboard the Israeli Gulfstream were developed by the United States, such as the IFF system, TADIL A/B (link 11) and J (link 16), satellite communications and AN/ARC-164 Have Quick II radios, and finally that the Israelis were in obligation of not reselling any of those technologies to another country. The winner of the competition is conclused by Boeing E-737 at November, 2006. KFX future fighter program See Also: KFX (aircraft) The KFX program is a project to develop an indigenous fighter aircraft. The ROKAF specified a twin-engined stealth fighter with an internal weapon bay. Boeing will be assisting South Korea in the development of the KFX, which is intended to replace the aging F-4s. MAIN EQUIPMENT | ||
| ! Style | "text-align: left background: #aacccc"Origin |
|
| ! Style | "text-align: left background: #aacccc"Type |
|
| ! Style | "text-align: left background: #aacccc"Versions |
|
| ! Style | "text-align: left background: #aacccc"In service"World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, '' Aviation Week & Space Technology '', January 15 2007 |
|
| ! Style | "text-align: left background: #aacccc"Notes |
|
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Aero_Commander_(aircraft)" class="copylinks">Aero Commander utility transport 520F 3 |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Antonov_An-2" class="copylinks">Antonov An-2 utility 10 |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Avro_748" class="copylinks">Avro 748 VIP transport HS748 2 |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/BAE_Hawk" class="copylinks">BAE Hawk trainer T-59 Hawk 67 20 |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Bell_205" class="copylinks">Bell 205 utility helicopter UH-1H 5 |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Bell_212" class="copylinks">Bell 212 transport helicopter 212<hr>UH-1N 2<hr>3 |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Bell_412" class="copylinks">Bell 412 transport helicopter 3 |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Boeing_737" class="copylinks">Boeing 737 VIP transport 737-3Z8 1 |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Boeing_CH-47_Chinook" class="copylinks">Boeing CH-47 Chinook rescue helicopter HH-47D 6 |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/F-15E_Strike_Eagle" class="copylinks">Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle fighter F-15K Slam Eagle 27 another 12 under delivery |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/CASA_CN-235" class="copylinks">CASA CN-235 <hr> tactical transport CN-235-100<hr>CN-235-200 20 8 built by IPTN |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Cessna_T-37" class="copylinks">Cessna T-37 attack<hr>trainer A-37B Dragonfly<hr>T-37C Tweet 23<hr>25 T-37 is replaced by KT-1 |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Eurocopter_Cougar" class="copylinks">Eurocopter Cougar VIP transport helicopter AS 332L 3 built by IPTN |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Ilyushin" class="copylinks">Ilyushin IL-103 trainer T-103 23 |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/KAI_KT-1" class="copylinks">KAI KT-1 trainer<hr>liaison KT-1A<hr>KO-1A 76<hr>10 |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/KAI_T-50_Golden_Eagle" class="copylinks">KAI T-50 Golden Eagle trainer T-50 3 |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Kamov_Ka-32" class="copylinks">Kamov Ka-32 rescue helicopter Ka-32T 7 |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Lockheed_C-130_Hercules" class="copylinks">Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport C-130H<hr>C-130H-30 12 |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Lockheed_F-16_Fighting_Falcon" class="copylinks">Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter<hr>trainer<hr>fighter<hr>fighter/trainer F-16C<hr>F-16D<hr>KF-16C<hr>KF-16D 26<hr>10<hr>92<hr>43 KF-16 built by KAI |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/McDonnell-Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II" class="copylinks">McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter<hr>fighter<hr>reconnaissance F-4D<hr>F-4E<hr>RF-4C 53<hr>76<hr>18 F-4D is replaced by F-15K |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Northrop_F-5" class="copylinks">Northrop F-5 fighter<hr>reconnaissance<hr>trainer<hr>trainer<hr>fighter<hr>trainer F-5A Freedom Fighter<hr>RF-5A<hr>F-5B Freedom Fighter<hr>SF-5B Freedom Fighter<hr>F-5E Tiger II<hr>F-5F Tiger II 20<hr>5<hr>15<hr>17<hr>142<hr>32 SF-5B built by CASA |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Northrop_T-38_Talon" class="copylinks">Northrop T-38 Talon trainer T-38A 30 |
||
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Raytheon_Hawker_800" class="copylinks">Raytheon Hawker 800 reconnaissance Hawker 800RA<hr>Hawker 800SIG 4<hr>4 |
|