ground support equipment for crew training,
mission support and system maintenance.
The E-737 incorporates Northrop Grumman’s
Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array
(MESA) radar that can track various airborne
as well as maritime targets simultaneously.
The aircraft are based at Gimhae AB which
doubles as Busan’s international airport. The
Peace Eyes were used to monitor North
Korean airspace closely during February’s
Olympic Winter Games that took place in
PyeongChang, in South Korea’s northeast.
In 1996 the ROKAF ordered eight Raytheon
Hawker 800XP signals intelligence (SIGINT),
surveillance and tactical reconnaissance
aircraft in two variants. Using the codenames
Peace Pioneer and Peace Krypton, they
were fitted out with specific equipment
after being delivered to Korea. All the
Hawker 800s are based at Seongnam and
are designated RC-800 by the ROKAF.
To ease the burden on the RC-800 fleet, which
is heavily used in times of crisis, the ROKAF
ordered two Dassault Falcon 2000EX intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft.
Both airframes, serials 14-714 and 14-726,
were delivered to Seongnam in late 2016 and
early 2017 respectively after being modified for
the ISR role by L3 Communications Integrated
Systems. The ROKAF would like to purchase
another six to eventually replace the RC-800.Indigenous training
In May 2016 the Air Force Academy at
Seongmu presented its first two KAI KT-100
Naraon basic trainers to the South Korean
press. There are 23 examples on order
to replace the Ilyushin T-103 trainers that
entered service in 2004. Ten KT-100s had
been delivered by the beginning of this year.
The introduction of the KT-100 provides
the ROKAF with an all-Korean line-up
of training aircraft for the first time in its
history. Manufacturer KAI has stated
that use of indigenous training aircraft
will save 25% on pilot training by easing
maintenance and removing the need
to import expensive spare parts.
After the KT-100 the student pilot will
fly the KAI KT-1 turboprop, of which 85
were delivered to the ROKAF beginning
in 2000, followed by advanced training
on the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle jet
trainer. The T-50 was developed in close
co-operation with Lockheed Martin and is
currently on offer to the USAF in the T-X
programme. The T-50 prototype first flew
on August 20, 2002 and 50 were delivered
to the training wing at Gwangju AB.The ROKAF took delivery of
Spanish- and Indonesian-built
CN235s. CN235-100M 30-082
(c/n 082) of the 256th Tactical
Air Transport Squadron is seen
on approach to Cheongju.
Hywel EvansA total of 49 T-50 Golden Eagle jet trainers are in use
with the two training squadrons at Gwangju AB, in the
southwest of the country. Among them is 09-034 (c/n
KA-034) that belongs to the 1st FW.60 // JULY 2018 #364 http://www.airforcesmonthly.comEight RC-800s are used for SIGINT and electronic reconnaissance. In recent months, the Seongnam-
based fleet has flown many sorties to gather intelligence on its unpredictable northern neighbour. It
is rumoured they will be replaced by a heavily modified variant of the Falcon 2000EX, two examples of
which have already been delivered.Korean
standoff Republic of Korea Air Force