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Miami Herald
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
US Expands F-16 Threat Against North Korea
The United States is set to create a second F-16 fighter aircraft "Super Squadron" in South Korea, maximizing combat capability to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. Newsweek has reached out to the North Korean Embassy in China for comment by email. The U.S. has maintained a military presence in South Korea, one of its Northeast Asian treaty allies, since the combat operations of the Korean War ended in 1953, which serves as a deterrent against North Korea, one of the nine nuclear-armed countries, with 50 warheads. Both the South Korean air force and American forces in the country operate the F-16, which is a high-demand fourth-generation fighter jet known as the Fighting Falcon. South Korea is the second largest F-16 user in the Western Pacific Ocean, having ordered a total of 180 jets. Osan Air Base, located to the south of the South Korean capital city of Seoul, will establish the second "Super Squadron" of the F-16 fighter jets in October, the U.S. Seventh Air Force, which is part of the larger U.S. forces stationed in the allied country, announced on Friday. The first squadron was created in 2024 by relocating nine F-16 fighter jets from Kunsan Air Base to Osan Air Base, which originally had 22 Fighting Falcons. Kunsan Air Base will transfer an additional 31 fighter jets over the summer, forming the second squadron. The second phase of the "Super Squadron" test, which will also involve the transfer of about 1,000 personnel to Osan Air Base from Kunsan Air Base, aims at examining the ability to increase combat force generation and maximize capability, according to the press release. The establishment of another "super squadron" was approved after analysis of the first one, which showed that a "consolidated, larger unit" increased readiness and combat capability, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General David Iverson, Seventh Air Force commander, explained. By consolidating the F-16 fighter aircraft at Osan Air Base, it will further determine "if the Super Squadron construct is the right path for future air power generation," Iverson added. While most of its F-16 fighter jets are sent to Osan Air Base, Kunsan Air Base will maintain flightline operations and facilities, the Seventh Air Force said, serving as a primary exercise and rotational force bed-down location for America's air component forces in South Korea. General David Allvin, chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, said: "We're standing up a second Super Squadron at Osan [Air Base]. This temporary change allows us to test and validate force generation capabilities on the Korean Peninsula, ultimately fostering a more lethal, ready air doubts that the ROK-U.S. alliance is ironclad!" ROK stands for Republic of Korea, which is the official name of South Korea. U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General David Iverson, Seventh Air Force commander, said: "This Super Squadron effort demonstrates our steadfast focus on readiness and combat capability to achieve U.S. national security objectives." The U.S. Seventh Air Force said: "Seventh Air Force remains committed to ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. The Super Squadron test has no impact on Seventh Air Force's ability to employ air power to deter aggression and defend the Republic of Korea against any threat." It remains to be seen whether the U.S. military will deploy additional units to South Korea amid tensions with North Korea. The Pentagon has reinforced its air power in Japan, another U.S. treaty ally in Northeast Asia, by deploying stealth fighter jets and supersonic bombers. Related Articles US Says Houthi Capabilities DegradedUS Anti-Ship Missiles Challenge Nearby Chinese Aircraft CarrierAmericans Share Best Financial Advice They Ever Received-It's Eye-OpeningUber Could Be Halted For Millions of Americans 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Air Force F-16 'super squadron' to maximize combat readiness in South Korea
April 25 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force will increase combat capability in South Korea, temporarily creating a new "super squadron" of F-16 Fighting Falcon military jets at a military base in that country. 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.
