Air Force F-16 'super squadron' to maximize combat readiness in South Korea
The 31 single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft and 1,000 accompanied personnel will transfer from Osan Air Base to Kunsan Air Base over the summer ahead of planned military exercises in the fall, the U.S. Air Force confirmed this week.
The two facilities are located approximately 84 miles apart.
Officials believe the move to consolidate will "optimize capabilities and maximize combat effectiveness," guarding against possible aggression from neighboring North Korea.
The Air Force first tested the "super squadron" concept last October on the Korean Peninsula to see if the idea proved beneficial.
Officials sad the large-scale test will have "no impact" on the Air Force's ability to conduct other missions in the region.
"The past months of data reveal that we're on the right track and the consolidated, larger unit has shown some increases in readiness and combat capability, while also exposing some challenges," Seventh Air Force commander Lt. Gen. David Iverson said in a statement on the unit's website.
"With this success we're now expanding the scope, by consolidating the F-16s in Seventh Air Force at Osan, to further determine if the super squadron construct is the right path for future airpower generation here in Korea."
Iverson posted a video on X of the F-16s on the ground.
"This temporary change allows us to test and validate force generation capabilities on the Korean peninsula, ultimately fostering a more lethal, ready air component," he said in the post, adding there are "no doubts that the ROK-U.S. alliance is ironclad."
"The Super Squadron test aims to increase sortie generation and combat capability, while enhancing readiness and responsiveness."
The F-16 fighter was developed by Virginia-based aerospace and defense firm General Dynamics and first introduced in 1976.
More than 4,600 of the jets have since been built, with more than 3,100 of the planes currently operated by 28 countries, according to Lockheed Martin, which took control of the program in 1995.
The jet is the most common fixed-wing military aircraft in service worldwide.
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