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Posted on : Jan.14,2019 17:30 KST Modified on : Jan.14,2019 17:30 KST
Integration ceremony expected to remain low-key in light of easing inter-Korean tensions
In late March, two F-35A stealth fighters that the ROK Air Force has purchased from the US will be arriving in South Korea. This will finally put South Korea on the list of countries in possession of stealth fighters, which are an icon of cutting-age aviation technology.
“Two of the six F-35A fighters that the ROK Air Force purchased from the US last year will be arriving in South Korea as early as the end of March. Following a test operation, they will be combat-deployed in April or May,” said an official from South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense on Jan. 13.
The first 40 F-35A fighters ordered by the South Korean government rolled off the assembly line at the Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth, Texas, in Mar. 2018. Five more fighters have been manufactured since then, and all six fighters have been delivered one by one to the ROK Air Force at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.
The F-35A has a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 and a combat radius of 1,093km. It’s equipped with air-to-air missiles, joint direct attack munition (JDAM) and small diameter bombs (SDB). Since the fighter does not show up on radar, it’s regarded as a critical weapon for striking strategic targets.
“Starting in March, a pair of F-35A fighters are scheduled to arrive in Korea almost every month. By 2021, all 40 F-35A fighters will be integrated into the force as planned,” the ROK Air Force official said.
In Mar. 2014, the South Korean government decided to purchase 40 F-35A fighters at the cost of 7.4 trillion won (US$6.62 billion). Since the end of 2017, South Korean air force pilots have been receiving flight training in the US. In July 2018, a South Korean pilot made the first successful unaccompanied flight at Luke Air Force.
The two F-35A fighters will pass through Hawaii and Guam on their way to South Korea. Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the fighters, is in charge of the transportation process.
It has yet to be decided whether a force integration ceremony will be held for the F-35A fighter’s arrival, sources say. When the first F-35A fighter in the order was produced at the end of Mar. 2018, North Korea responded testily, with the state-run Rodong Sinmun blasting the move as a “criminal act against the Korean nation.” Since military tensions between South and North Korea have been easing, any ceremony for the F-35A force integration is expected to be kept low-key.
By Yoo Kang-moon, senior staff writer
Source: hani.co.kr
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