[Summary] COVID-19 Confirmed at Cheongju Base... Any Impact on F-35 Operations?

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] An emergency has been declared at the Cheongju 17th Fighter Wing, where the stealth fighter F-35 operated by our Air Force is deployed. This is because the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) within the unit has increased by one, totaling two confirmed cases.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 28th, as of 10 a.m. that day, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased by one from the previous day to 26. Currently, confirmed COVID-19 cases in the military are rapidly increasing with 15 in the Army, 1 in the Navy, 1 in the Marine Corps, and 9 in the Air Force. The additional confirmed case was reported to be an Air Force officer in the Cheongju area.

The first confirmed COVID-19 case in the 17th Fighter Wing was Sergeant A. Sergeant A showed symptoms such as muscle pain and headache on the 23rd, and on that day also developed nasal congestion and fever. Sergeant A visited the screening clinic at Cheongwon-gun Public Health Center for testing after Sergeant B, the eighth confirmed case working in the same unit, tested positive for COVID-19. Sergeant A was classified as the 5th confirmed case in Cheongju City and the 10th in Chungbuk Province. Subsequently, Sergeant B was also confirmed as a final positive case.

As the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in the 17th Fighter Wing increases, concerns are rising over potential operational disruptions to the F-35A stealth fighter jets operated by our Air Force.

The F-35A, manufactured by the American company Lockheed Martin, is a supply version of the F-22 Raptor, known as the world's strongest fighter jet. It is equipped with state-of-the-art stealth capabilities and the latest electronic navigation systems. Measuring 15.37 meters in length, 5.28 meters in height, and with a wingspan of 10.65 meters, it has a maximum speed of Mach 1.8, an operational radius of 1,100 km, and a maximum range of 2,220 km. The concealment function that prevents detection by enemy radar can be narrowly defined as stealth, and the F-35A's stealth capability is considered a major strength. Its radar cross-section is known to be about one-hundredth that of the F-15K currently operated by our Air Force, making radar tracking virtually impossible.

Meanwhile, the South Korea-U.S. military authorities decided on the 27th to postpone the joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises scheduled for the 9th of next month due to the spread of COVID-19. This is the first time that joint exercises have been postponed due to an infectious disease. The Ministry of National Defense also switched to a temporary emergency work system for one week starting from the 27th to prevent infections within units in the Daegu area, instructing officers to work from home and perform basic duties under preventive quarantine conditions.