South Korean Air Force

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Military of South Korea

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Homeland Reserve Forces

History

Personnel

Comparative military ranks

Military ranks

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 Order of Battle
3 Current Projects
4 Main equipment
5 Military ranks
- 5.1 Officer Ranks
- 5.2 Enlisted ranks
6 References
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] History

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 personnel but only 20 trainer aircraft, including 10 T-6 Texan (Korean:건국기, Geongukgi) 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. The first combat aircraft received were F-51D Mustangs, 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 (hangul:제공호, hanja:制空號) 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 Information 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.

[edit] 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, 18 F-15Ks with the rest of the 22 being delivered by June 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.

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.

[edit] Order of Battle

Republic of Korea Air Force Headquarters (대한민국 공군본부)

Air Force Operations Command (공군작전사령부)

5th Airlift Wing (5공수비행단)
15th Composite Wing (15혼성비행단)
30th Air Defence and Control Group (30방공관제단)
6th Combat Control Team/Combat Search And Rescue Squadron

Air Force Northern Combat Command (공군북부전투사령부) (unit under formation)

Fighter Wing (전투비행단)
Fighter Wing (전투비행단)
Fighter Wing (전투비행단)
Fighter Wing (전투비행단)
8th Wing (8비행단)

Air Force Southern Combat Command (공군남부전투사령부)

1st Fighter Wing (1전투비행단)
11th Fighter Wing (11전투비행단)
Fighter Wing (전투비행단)
Fighter Wing (전투비행단)

Air Defence Artillery Command (방공포병사령부)

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

Air Force Logistics Command (공군군수사령부)

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

Air Force Training & Doctrine Command (공군교육사령부)

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

Aerospace Projects Group
Air Combat Development Group (공군전투발전단)
Air Force Academy (공군사관학교)

[edit] Current Projects

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

[edit] 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. 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.[1]

[edit] 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.

[edit] KFX future fighter program

The KFX program is a project to develop an indigenous fighter aircraft. Few details are known except that the ROKAF specified a twin-engined fighter with an internal weapon bay.

[edit] Main equipment

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service^[1]	Notes
Aero Commander	United States	utility transport	520F	3
Antonov An-2	Soviet Union	utility		3
Avro 748	United Kingdom	VIP transport	HS.748	1
BAE Hawk	United Kingdom	trainer	T-59 Hawk 67	14
Bell 205	United States	utility helicopter	UH-1H	5
Bell 212	United States	transport helicopter	212 UH-1N	2 3
Bell 412	United States	transport helicopter		3
Boeing 737	United States	VIP transport	737-3Z8	1
Boeing CH-47 Chinook	United States	rescue helicopter	HH-47D	6
Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle	United States	fighter	F-15K Slam Eagle	19
CASA CN-235	Spain Indonesia	tactical transport	CN-235-100 CN-235-200	20	8 built by IPTN
Cessna 172	United States	trainer	T-41B Mescalero
Cessna T-37	United States	attack trainer	A-37B Dragonfly T-37C Tweet	23 25
Eurocopter Cougar	Indonesia	VIP transport helicopter	AS 332L	3	built by IPTN
Ilyushin IL-103	Russia	trainer	T-103	23
KAI KT-1	Republic of Korea	trainer liaison	KT-1A KO-1A	76 10
KAI T-50 Golden Eagle	Republic of Korea	trainer	T-50	3
Kamov Ka-32	Russia	rescue helicopter	Ka-32T	7
Lockheed C-130 Hercules	United States	tactical transport	C-130H C-130H-30	12
Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon	United States	fighter trainer fighter fighter/trainer	F-16C F-16D KF-16C KF-16D	26 10 92 44	KF-16 built by KAI
McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II	United States	fighter fighter reconnaissance	F-4D F-4E RF-4C	30 64 18
Northrop F-5	United States	fighter reconnaissance trainer trainer fighter trainer	F-5A Freedom Fighter RF-5A F-5B Freedom Fighter SF-5B Freedom Fighter F-5E Tiger II F-5F Tiger II	20 5 15 17 142 32	SF-5B built by CASA
Northrop T-38 Talon	United States	trainer	T-38A	30
Raytheon Hawker 800	United States	reconnaissance	Hawker 800RA Hawker 800SIG	4 4

In addition, the Air Force Air Defense Artillery Command is responsible for six MIM-23 Hawk and three MIM-14 Nike-Hercules surface-to-air missile battalions. These are to be withdrawn and replaced by KM-SAM and MIM-104C PAC-2 missiles.

[edit] Military ranks

[edit] 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, "ryung" 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

Daeryung (Colonel)

Jungryung (Lieutenant Colonel)

Soryung (Major)
Daewi (Captain)

Jungwi (First Lieutenant)

Sowi (Second Lieutenant)