Republic of Korea Air Force

Military of South Korea

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History

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Equipment

The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROK Air Force, ROKAF, Hangul: 대한민국 공군, Hanja: 大韓民國空軍) is the air force of South Korea. It operates under the Ministry of National Defense.

The ROKAF is a modern air force, which fields some 600+ combat aircraft of mostly American design. In contrast, the North Korean Army has roughly 150-300 more aircraft but mostly of obsolete types of Soviet and Chinese origin.

1 History
2 Structure
3 Current Projects
- 3.1 F-X fighter program
- 3.2 E-X Early warning aircraft program
4 Main equipment
5 Military ranks
- 5.1 Officer Ranks
- 5.2 Enlisted ranks
6 See also
7 External links
8 Categories

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 5th, 1948 under the direction of Dong Wi-bu, the fore-runner to modern Korean Ministry of National Defence. On September 13th 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 1950s

The 1950s were critical time for ROKAF, as it had expanded tremendously during the Korean War. At the outbreak of the war, ROKAF consisted of 1,800 personnels but only 20 trainer aircraft, including 10 T-6 Texan (Korean:건국기) trainers purchased from Canada. The North Korean airforce had acquired a considerable number of MiG-15 fighters from the Soviet Union, dwarfing the ROKAF in terms of size and strength. However, during the course of war, ROKAF acquired 110 aircraft: 79 fighter-bombers, three fighter squadrons, and one fighter wing. 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 1960s

Flight of ROKAF F-4D.

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 1970s

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 Providers and S-2 Trackers 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 1980s and 1990s

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 (Korean:제공호) were first produced. The ROKAF gathered considerable information on North Korean air force when Captain Lee Woong-Pyeong, a North Korean pilot, defected to South Korea. Korean Combat Operations Informations center was institutionalized and the Air Defence system was automated to attain air superiority against North Korea. When 1988 Seoul Olympics 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

The ROKAF roundel 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/Ds, 234 F-5A/B/E/Fs, 130 F-4D/Es, 3 F-15Ks with the rest of the 36 being delivered in early 2008 , and a number of South Korean made KAI A-50s 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-1B 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.

Structure

The air force is composed of Air Force Headquarters, the Combat Air Command, Air Defense Command, and Air Traffic Control Center.

Republic of Korea Air Force Headquarters (공군본부)

Air Force Operations Command (작전사령부)

Air Force Northern Combat Command (북부전투사령부) (operational by 2008)

Fighter Wings (전투비행단)

Air Force Southern Combat Command (남부전투사령부)

Fighter Wings (전투비행단)

Air Defence Artillery Command (방공포병사령부)

1st Air Defence Artillery Brigade (1 방공포병여단)
2rd Air Defence Artillery Brigade (2 방공포병여단)
3rd Air Defence Artillery Brigade (3 방공포병여단)

30 Air Defence and Control Group (30 방공관제단)

Air Force Logistics Command

Maintenance Depots (정비창)
Supply Depots (보급창)
Transportation Groups (수송단)

Air Force Education & Training Command (교육사령부)

Air University (공군대학)
Basic Military Training Wing (기본군사훈련단)
3rd Flying Training Wing (3 훈련비행단)
Air Force Technical High School (공군기술고등학교)
Technical School (병과학교)

Direct Reporting Unit (직할부대)

Air Force Academy (공군사관학교)
Aerospace Projects Group
Air Combat Development Group (전투발전단)
5th Airlift Wing (5 공수비행단)
15th Composite Wing (15 혼성비행단)

Current Projects

A South Korean F-15K Eagle comes in for fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker.

F-X fighter program

One of the most recent additions to the ROKAF is F-15K Slam Eagle (Korean: F-15K 슬램이글), 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.

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. 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 because 1. the blackbox was never recovered, 2. F-15Ks are 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). [1]

E-X Early warning aircraft program

The E-X Early Warning aircraft program is a project currently 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 are 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.

Main equipment

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Republic of Korea Air Force
Fighter aircrafts
36	F-16C/D Block 32
137	KF-16C/D Block 52
20	F-15K Slam Eagle (40 operational by 2008) (20 More by 2009-11)
20	F-4D (Soon to be decommissioned) (Will be replaced by F-15K)
94	F-4E Phantom II
18	RF-4C
230	F-5A/B/E/F (Soon to be decommissioned)
27	A-37B (Soon to be decommissioned) (Will be replaced by A-50)
?	A-50 (Unknown number)
Air-to-air missiles
Air-to-ground missiles
Anti-aircraft missiles '
6 Battalion	MIM-23 Hawk (Soon to be decommissioned) (Will be replaced by KM-SAM)
3 Battalion	MIM-14 Nike-Hercules (Soon to be decommissioned) (Will be replaced by MIM-104C PAC-2)
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)s
Trainer aircrafts
60	KT-1 trainer aircraft
?	T-50 Golden Eagle trainer
?	T-59 Hawk trainer
?	T-38 Talon trainer
Tactical transport aircrafts
16	C-130H/H-30
20	CN-235-100/200
Early warning aircrafts
4	Boeing E-737 Wedgetail (Operational by 2012)
Helicopters
7	HH-47D
10	HH-60H/P
7	HH-32A

Military ranks

Officer Ranks

Officer ranks can be learned fairly easily if one sees the pattern. "So" equals small; "Jung" equals medium; "Dae" equals large. "Jun" equals very small (used for 1 star general).
Each of these is coupled with "wi" equals company grade, "ryong" equals field grade, and "jang" equals general. This system is due to the Hanja or Sino-Korean origin of the names.

Because of this system, the same "Dae", but with a different "jang" means "large intestine," while "Sojang" can mean "small instestine." This is sometimes the subject of South Korean military humor.

ROK Air Force rank	ROK Air Force insignia
Wonsu (General of the Air Force) (Wartime Only)

Daejang (General)

Jungjang (Lieutenant General)

Sojang (Major General)

Junjang (Brigader General)

ROK Air Force rank	ROK Air Force insignia

Daeryong (Colonel)

Jungryong (Lieutenant Colonel)

Soryong (Major)
Daewi (Captain)

Jungwi (First Lieutenant)

Sowi (Second Lieutenant)