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TheRepublic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF;Korean: 대한민국 공군;Hanja: 大韓民國空軍;RR: Daehanminguk Gong-gun), also known as theROK Air Force orSouth Korean Air Force, is theaerial andspace warfare service branch ofSouth Korea, operating under theSouth Korean Ministry of National Defense.
Shortly after the end ofWorld War II, the South Korean Air Construction Association was founded on 10 August 1946, to publicize the importance of air power. Despite the then-scanty status of Korean armed forces, the first air unit was formed on 5 May 1948, under the direction of Dong Wi-bu, the forerunner to the modern South KoreanMinistry of National Defense. On 13 September 1949, theUnited States contributed 10L-4 Grasshopper observation aircraft to the South Korean air unit. An Army Air Academy was founded in January 1949, and the ROKAF was officially founded in October 1949.
The 1950s were a critical time for the ROKAF as it expanded tremendously during theKorean War. At the outbreak of the war, the ROKAF consisted of 1,800 personnel but was equipped with only 20 trainers andliaison aircraft, including 10North American T-6 Texan advanced trainers purchased fromCanada. TheNorth Korean Air Force had acquired a considerable number ofYak-9 andLa-7 fighters from theSoviet Union, dwarfing the ROKAF in terms of size and strength. During the war, though, the ROKAF acquired 110 aircraft - 79 fighter-bombers, three fighter squadrons, and one fighter wing. The first combat aircraft received wasNorth American F-51D Mustangs, along with a contingent ofUS Air Force instructor pilots under the command of MajorDean Hess, as part ofBout One Project. The ROKAF participated in bombing operations and flew independent sorties. After the war, the ROKAF Headquarters were moved to Daebangdong,Seoul. Air Force University was also founded in 1956. In 1953, ROKAF Technical School developed a liaison aircraft namedBuhwal-ho, which is the first domestic-developed powered aircraft of Korea.
To counter the threat of possible North Korean aggression, the ROKAF underwent a substantial capability enhancement. The ROKAF acquiredNorth American T-28 Trojan trainers,North American F-86D Sabre night- and all-weather interceptors,Northrop F-5 fighters andMcDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom fighter bombers. Air Force Operations Command was established in 1961 to secure efficient command and control facilities. Air Force Logistics Command was established in 1966, and emergency runways were constructed for emergency use during wartime. The Eunma Unit was founded in 1966 to operateCurtiss C-46 Commando transport aircraft used to supportRepublic of Korea Army andRepublic of Korea Marine Corps units serving in South Vietnam during theVietnam War.[5]
The ROKAF was posed with a security risk, with an increasingly belligerent North Korea throughout the 1970s. The South Korean government increased its expenditure on the ROKAF, resulting in the purchase ofNorthrop F-5E Tiger II fighters in August 1974 and F-4E fighter-bombers. Support aircraft, such asFairchild C-123 Providers andGrumman S-2 Trackers were also purchased at the time. Great emphasis was placed on the flight training program; new trainer aircraft (Cessna T-41 Mescalero andCessna T-37) were purchased, and the Air Force Education & Training Command was also founded in 1973 to consolidate and enhance the quality of personnel training.
The ROKAF concentrated on the qualitative expansion of aircraft to catch up to the strength of the North Korean Air Force. In 1982, Korean variants of the F-5E, the Jegong-ho were first produced. The ROKAF gathered a good deal of information on the North Korean Air Force when Captain Lee Woong-Pyeong, a North Korean pilot, defected to South Korea. The Korean Combat Operations Information Center was soon formed and the Air Defence System was automated to attain air superiority againstNorth Korea. When the1988 Seoul Olympics was held inSouth Korea, the ROKAF contributed to the success of this event by helping to oversee the entire security system. The ROKAF also moved its headquarters and the Air Force Education & Training Command to other locations. 40General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters were also purchased in 1989.
South Korea committed its support for coalition forces during thePersian Gulf War, forming the "Bima Unit" to fight in the war. The ROKAF also providedairlift support for peacekeeping operations inSomalia in 1993. The increased participation in international operations depicted the ROKAF's elevated international position. Over 180KF-16 fighters ofF-16 Block 52 specifications were introduced as part of the Peace Bridge II & III program in 1994. In 1997, for the first time in Korean aviation history, female cadets were accepted into theKorean Air Force Academy.
The last of the old South Korean 60 F-5A/B fighters were all retired in August 2007, and they were replaced with the F-15K and F/A-50. On 20 October 2009, Bruce S. Lemkin, deputy undersecretary of the U.S. Air Force, said that the ROKAF's limited intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities increased the risk of instability on the Korean Peninsula and suggested the purchase of American systems such as theF-35 Lightning II to close this gap.[6]
The South Korean Air Force also expressed interest in acquiring theRQ-4 Global Hawkremotely piloted vehicle (RPV) and severalJoint Direct Attack Munition conversion kits to further improve its intelligence and offensive capabilities. In 2014, Northrop Grumman awarded a contract to provide South Korea with four RQ-4 Global.[7] The South Korean Air Force acquired 40 F-35s and +20 additional F-35.
In 2021, the Space Operations Center was established at the Air Force Headquarters.[8]
On 22 October 2023, the ROKAF conducted its first-ever trilateral exercise with the United States and Japanese air forces near the Korean Peninsula.
On 7 June 2024,F-4E Phantom II, which were deployed at the 10th Fighter Wing based inSuwon, were retired.[9]
On 6 March 2025, aKF-16 accidentallyreleased eight bombs overPocheon,Gyeonggi Province, injuring 15 people and damaging buildings and vehicles.[10][11]
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The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) KF-21 Boramae (Northern Goshawk) is a multi-role 4.5 generation fighter built By Korean KAI and Indonesian PT DI. It will have capabilities in between the light FA-50 fighter and the high-grade, long-range, heavy payload F-15K and F-35 Lightning II.[15][16]
The indigenously developed KUS-FS, nicknamed MUAV or Korean Unmanned System (KUS-FS), is designed for armed land and sea Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions with endurance of up to 24 hours. Its maiden flight was in 2012. Korean Air's Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD) unveiled its MALE UAV in 2019 with LIG Nex1 SAR and Hanwha EO/IR sensors, aimed for serial production in 2021. It reportedly has a wider wingspan than theReaper at 25 m and is powered by a 1200 hp Pratt & Whitney PT6 turboprop engine.[17][18][19] South Korea will develop turbofan engines to be installed in high-performance unmanned aerial vehicles by 2025.[20]
In the spring of 2017 the PIP missile (M-SAM Block II) began its final tests, during which it shot down five of five practice ballistic missile targets. Seven (batteries) are scheduled for deployment throughout South Korea by 2022.[21]
L-SAM refers to a locally made long-range surface-to-air missile currently under development, while the Cheolmae II, also known as KM-SAM, is a domestically manufactured medium-range surface-to-air missile capable of engaging an incoming target at an altitude as high as 20 kilometers. The new project has been nicknamed the K-THAAD due to its planned long range of 25 to 93 miles and its ability to hit targets as high as 200,000 feet. Nearly $1 billion has been devoted to the L-SAM or Cheolmae-4, which is scheduled for completion in 2022 with deployment of four batteries to follow a year or two afterwards.[22]
Since the introduction of theC-130J-30 Super Hercules as a large transport aircraft in 2010,[23] ROKAF has announced its intention to implement a second project for the acquisition of large strategic transporters.[24]Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has disclosed detailed plans, outlining the purchase of four aircraft from overseas, with the entire project costing 480 billion won (US$37 million). DAPA has also mandated the formation of a consortium, involving Korean companies in the production of aircraft components.[25]
Throughout March and April 2023, ROKAF, DAPA, and KIDA (the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis) conducted an assessment of manufacturers, includingAirbus,Embraer,Lockheed Martin, as part of the procurement evaluation.[26] The three manufacturers submitted theAirbus A400M Atlas,Embraer C-390 Millennium, andLockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules for consideration in the second project.[26] In December 2023, DAPA selected the Embraer C-390 Millennium as the winner of the Large Transport Aircraft (LTA) II tender, and planning to introduce three units by 2026.[27][28]
In 2018, apart from the second project, the Korean government was in discussions with the Spanish government regarding a potential swap involving the Airbus A400M Atlas for the KT-1 Woongbi basic trainer and the T-50 Golden Eagle advanced trainer.[29]
South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has launched a project to develop an indigenous long-range air defense radar. Foreign-manufactured radars (Lockheed Martin TPS-77) currently in use to monitor Kadiz will be phased out and replaced with new domestic equipment starting in 2027, according to the agency.[30]
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Previous aircraft operated by the Republic of Korea Air Force consisted of the following aircraft.[41][42][43]
TheROKAF Air Defence Artillery Command transferred from theRepublic of Korea Army's air defense artillery and was established as a basic branch on 1 July 1991.[45]
| Name | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface-to-air missile | |||||
| MIM-104 Patriot | United States | ABM /SAM system | PAC-3[46] | 8 batteries[47] | |
| KM-SAM Cheongung | Republic of Korea | medium rangeABM /SAM system | Block I | 18 batteries[48] | |
| Block II | 1 (7 on order)[49] | ||||
| Anti-aircraft artillery | |||||
| M167 VADS | Republic of Korea | anti-aircraft gun | KM167A3 | 200 | 20mm anti-aircraft gun |
| Man-portable air-defense system | |||||
| KP-SAM Shingung | Republic of Korea | man-portable air-defense system | 2,000 | ||
Officer ranks can be learned fairly easily if one sees the pattern.So equals small;Jung equals medium;Dae equals large.Jun equals the prefix sub-. Each of these is coupled withwi equals company grade,ryeong equals field grade, andjang equals general. This system is due to thehanja orSino-Korean origin of the names.
| Rank group | General/Flag/Air officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Republic of Korea Air Force[50] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
| 원수 Wonsu | 대장 Daejang | 중장 Jungjang | 소장 Sojang | 준장 Junjang | 대령 Daeryeong | 중령 Jungnyeong | 소령 Soryeong | 대위 Daewi | 중위 Jungwi | 소위 Sowi | ||||||||||||||
| Rank Group | Warrant officer |
|---|---|
| Republic of Korea Air Force[50] |  |
| 준위 Junwi |
| Rank group | Non-commissioned officer | Enlisted | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Korea Air Force[50] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 원사 Wonsa | 상사 Sangsa | 중사 Jungsa | 하사 Hasa | 병장 Byeongjang | 상등병 Sangdeungbyeong | 일등병 Ildeungbyeong | 이등병 Ideungbyeong | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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