Latest news with #KF-16
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)
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.
Korea Herald
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
S. Korea, US launch joint Freedom Flag air drills
South Korea and the United States kicked off a joint large-scale air exercise Thursday, the South's Air Force said, in efforts to bolster their interoperability and combined readiness posture against North Korean threats. Some 1,100 troops and 90 aircraft from both sides were mobilized for the semiannual Freedom Flag exercise, which runs through May 2, according to the Air Force. Among the assets mobilized for the two-week drills were the South's F-35A, F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets, as well as the US F-16 and F-35 B fighters and MQ-1 and MQ-9 drones. Over the next two weeks, troops will take part in key air operations training programs, such as air interdiction, defensive counter air, combat search and rescue and close air support exercises. For the first time, stealth fighter jets, such as the F-35, will take on the role of "red air" enemy forces to help enhance pilots' practical combat capabilities, the Air Force said. Freedom Flag was launched last year to replace regular large-scale air exercises between the allies -- Korea Flying Training in the first half of the year and Vigilant Defense in the second half. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
14-04-2025
- Korea Herald
Two Air Force unit commanders additionally booked over accidental jet bombing
Two Air Force unit commanders have been booked in relation to an unprecedented mistaken bombing on a civilian town last month, officials said Monday, as the ministry released the interim probe results of the fighter jet accident. On March 6, two KF-16 fighter jets dropped eight MK-82 bombs outside a training range in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, during live-fire drills, injuring 52 people, including 38 civilians, according to an estimate by city authorities. The two pilots, who are alleged to have erroneously entered the target coordinates prior to the live-fire drills, have been booked over charges related to the incident. The pilots have also been suspended from air duty for one year. "The ministry plans to refer the two pilots and the unit commanders who have been booked to the military prosecution after the probe concludes and seek disciplinary action against nine officials who were found to have belatedly reported the case and taken insufficient measures," the ministry's criminal investigation command said in a release. The nine officials include seven from the Air Force and two from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it added. The ministry also plans to issue a warning against the Air Force's operations commander, holding him accountable for command responsibility and insufficient reporting. (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
21-03-2025
- Korea Herald
2 Air Force pilots suspended from air duty for 1 yr after accidental bombing of civilian area
The Air Force on Friday suspended two pilots from air duty for one year after they mistakenly dropped multiple bombs on a civilian village earlier this month, injuring dozens of residents. On March 6, two KF-16 fighter jets 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. The Air Force has booked the two pilots on charges of negligence resulting in injury, and conducted a qualification review of the two pilots. Under the disciplinary review process, a person responsible for misconduct can face penalties ranging from suspension to dismissal. The suspension was decided as the investigation into the incident is still under way and there will be another qualification review once the defense ministry completes its probe, an Air Force official said. In the interim probe released earlier this month, the Air Force determined that the pilot's mistake in entering wrong target coordinates was the direct cause of the accidental bombing. The Air Force has dismissed two unit commanders over their failure to give specific instructions to their subordinates. (Yonhap)
