Latest news with #KA-1
Korea Herald
29-04-2025
- General
- Korea Herald
Military to inspect Air Force over lax discipline following pilot error-caused accidents
The military will conduct an inspection of the Air Force over its operational discipline and readiness posture this week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday, following an accidental bombing of a civilian town and a mistaken release of gun pods from an aircraft. The on-site inspection will begin later in the day, the JCS said in a notice to reporters, without providing further details. A JCS official said the inspection of Air Force fighter wings is set to run through Friday and may be extended when deemed necessary. The move follows a series of accidents caused by Air Force assets in March and April that have raised concerns over lax discipline within the armed service. On March 6, two KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly dropped eight MK-82 bombs outside a training range in Pocheon, some 40 kilometers north of Seoul, during live-fire drills, injuring 52 people, including 38 civilians. Earlier this month, a KA-1 light attack aircraft taking part in nighttime drills over Pyeongchang, about 125 kilometers east of Seoul, accidentally dropped two gun pods and empty fuel tanks. No casualties or property damage have been reported. The Air Force pointed to pilot errors as the reason for both incidents and apologized to the public over causing concerns, vowing to come up with practical measures to prevent similar accidents. (Yonhap)
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Korea Herald
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
[팟캐스트] (682) 잇따른 사고로 도마에 오른 ‘군 기강'
Military under fire for 'lack of discipline' after series of major accidents 기사 요약: 최근 연이어 발생한 군 사고가 미숙한 조작 및 실수에서 비롯된 것으로 알려지면서, 군 기강해이에 대한 우려와 논란이 커지고 있다. [1] South Korea's military has come under fire for lax discipline following a series of major accidents in recent months, including the latest involving the Air Force's accidental dropping of two gun pods from a KA-1 light attack aircraft during training on Friday. come under fire: 비판을 받다 lax: 해이한 [2] The series of incidents came amid a leadership vacuum in the military that began in December, prompting security concerns due to signs of a weakened defense posture. vacuum: 공백 [3] Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and several other key unit commanders were arrested and have been detained for their alleged roles in ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law declaration on Dec. 3. alleged: 추정되는 [4] 'On the surface, (the series of accidents) may seem to be merely a lack of discipline within the military, but it's more an accumulation of inadequate military training,' said Yang Uk, a research fellow in military strategy and weapons systems at the Asan Institute of Policy Studies, speaking via phone on Sunday.
South China Morning Post
21-04-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
South Korea air force says pilot error caused aircraft to drop gun pods, fuel tanks
Pilot negligence caused the accidental release of gun pods and empty fuel tanks from a KA-1 light attack aircraft in South Korea, the country's air force said on Monday. Advertisement The blunder last week, the latest in a series of accidents in recent months, has prompted concerns about lax standards within the armed forces. According to Yonhap, authorities said the pilot had mistakenly pressed the emergency jettison button, located above the heater's ventilation, while attempting to adjust the heater to prevent air from blowing into his visor. The aircraft was taking part in nighttime drills over a mountainous area in Pyeongchang, some 125km east of Seoul, when the accident occurred at about 8pm on Friday. No casualties or property damage were reported. Advertisement A HH-60 helicopter and about 270 soldiers were mobilised to locate the missing parts, the air force said. The gun pods and most of the ammunition were recovered over the weekend.
Barnama
21-04-2025
- Barnama
Pilot Error Caused Ka-1 To Drop Pods, Tanks - S Korea's Air Force
SEOUL, April 21 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- Pilot negligence led to the accidental release of gun pods and empty fuel tanks from a South Korean KA-1 light attack aircraft last week, Yonhap news agency quoted the Air Force on Monday. The incident occurred on Friday during a nighttime drill over Pyeongchang, about 125 kilometres east of Seoul. The dropped parts landed in a mountainous area. No casualties or property damage were reported.
Korea Herald
21-04-2025
- General
- Korea Herald
Pilot mistook jettison button for heating in KA-1 incident: Air Force
A South Korean Air Force pilot mistakenly pressed the emergency jettison button while attempting to adjust the heating in a KA-1 light attack aircraft that accidentally dropped its weapons and fuel tanks last week, authorities said Monday. The Air Force said the pilot was attempting to adjust an air vent that was disrupting his vision when the incident occurred at 8:22 p.m. on Friday over Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, during a nighttime mock firing exercise. The vent and emergency jettison button, which measure 3.5 centimeters and 3.3 centimeters in diameter, respectively, are located close to each other, contributing to the confusion, authorities said. 'The pilot, who was wearing night vision goggles, reported that strong wind was blowing into his helmet through the ventilation system. While trying to adjust the heater controls near the air vent, he mistakenly pressed the emergency jettison button,' Lt. Col. Jang Dong-ha, spokesperson for the Air Force, said during a press briefing in Seoul. As of Monday, the military had recovered both gun pods, the fuel tanks and 495 rounds of ammunition. Five rounds remained missing. The KA-1, a light attack variant of the KT-1 trainer aircraft, carries two pilots. The jettisoned gun pods, which house machine guns, also contained 500 rounds of 12.7 mm live ammunition. The dropped fuel tanks were empty. The aircraft returned safely to Wonju Air Base after reporting the incident to air traffic control. No emergency procedures were required. In response, the Air Force deployed a helicopter and about 270 personnel to the mountainous area where the equipment was dropped in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province. The Air Force confirmed that the equipment landed in uninhabited mountainous terrain and caused no civilian injuries or property damage. It added that it plans to conduct a comprehensive review of all related systems, including personnel, organizational structure and flight procedures. Training flights, which were suspended following the accident, are scheduled to resume Tuesday. These include the Freedom Flag exercise, a South Korea–US joint air drill that began Thursday and runs through May 2. Friday's incident comes after another one on March 3, when a misfire from a KF-16 fighter jet injured more than 30 people and damaged around 140 homes. That incident was also credited to pilot error, via inputting incorrect targeting coordinates.
