F-35 Cannot Fire Live Ammunition Until Next Year

Unable to Certify Live Ammunition by Next Year, Only Training Rounds to Be Fired

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] It has been confirmed that our Air Force's latest F-35A stealth fighter jets will not be able to fire live ammunition from their cannons until next year. The cannon live ammunition (PGU-48) equipped on the F-35A has not been certified yet, so only training rounds can be fired.

According to the military on the 18th, the U.S. side notified that live ammunition certification was not completed at the time of the F-35A stealth fighter contract in December 2015, so only training rounds could be used. However, even by March 2018, when the first unit was introduced, live ammunition certification was not completed. Ultimately, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) procured only 55,100 training rounds in May 2020. This is why the F-35A did not load live ammunition when it was deployed during North Korea's show of force with 150 military aircraft on the 8th of last month.

Currently, firing live ammunition from the cannon mounted on the F-35A stealth fighter causes cracks, which degrade the stealth function. For this reason, the U.S. side has also advised F-35A operating countries not to use the cannon until the certification is completed by the end of next year. Although the F-35A is deployed for mid-range attacks, cannon fire is essential in enemy territory due to the need for close combat with enemy aircraft. Training rounds used in wartime situations lack penetration power unlike live ammunition, making them practically useless weapons.

Um Dong-hwan, head of DAPA, said at the Defense Committee's audit of DAPA in the National Assembly last month, "Considering the security situation, we will strive to have live ammunition supplied early from the U.S. side," but the U.S. side maintains the position that they will not sell live ammunition until the cannon certification issue is resolved.

A military official expressed concern, saying, "There is not even a guarantee that the cannon certification issue, unresolved even in the fifth year since the introduction of the F-35A, will be supplemented by next year."