Emergency Landing of F-35... Will It Join Additional Fighter Jets? [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

Emergency Landing of F-35 at Seosan Air Base Renders It Practically Immobile

The Air Force is in a dilemma over the 5th generation cutting-edge stealth fighter jet ‘F-35A’ that made an emergency landing due to a bird strike. The F-35A fighter jet made an emergency landing at Seosan Air Base two years ago, but there is no suitable way to move it to its home base at Cheongju Air Base.

Yonhap News

According to the military on the 25th, in January 2022, one F-35A collided with an eagle, causing damage to the aircraft. It made an emergency landing at Seosan Air Base, and a detailed inspection confirmed damage in over 300 locations including the engine. The repair period is estimated to take more than four years, with costs estimated at 140 billion KRW. Considering that the cost of purchasing a new one is 110 billion KRW, the repair cost is even higher than the original price. Ultimately, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Ministry of National Defense decided to scrap the aircraft in April and May after two years of operation. The Air Force decided to use it as a training device for maintenance personnel.

Disassembly Impossible, Land Transport Not Feasible

The problem lies in the means of transportation. It must be moved by land and air, but there is no suitable method. To move it by land, the F-35A fighter jet must be disassembled. The Air Force’s special flight team ‘Black Eagles’ also disassembles their aircraft for overseas flights and transports them abroad. They disassemble the fuselage, left and right wings, left and right horizontal tail wings, vertical tail wing, and engine for air transport. However, disassembling the F-35 fighter jet is difficult due to opposition from the United States. Moving it from Seosan in Chungnam to Cheongju in Chungbuk without disassembly is also not easy. The width of the F-35 fighter jet exceeds 10 meters, requiring full control of a two-lane road. There are also many obstacles such as roadside trees. In reality, land transport is nearly impossible.

Weight Over 1 Ton, Helicopter Loading Also Difficult

Air transport is also challenging. It must be transported using the large transport helicopter CH-47 ‘Chinook’ owned by our military, but it cannot handle the weight of the F-35 fighter jet. The Chinook’s payload capacity is around 1 ton, while the F-35A weighs 1.3 tons. Ultimately, to move it by air, the CH-53K deployed with the US Forces Korea must be used. The CH-53K is the latest large helicopter, an upgraded version of the CH-53E Super Stallion operated by the US military. It can transport cargo weighing up to 16.3 tons. At the end of 2022, a video showing a US F-35C stealth fighter flying while suspended from a CH-53K was released, attracting attention. The Air Force is in discussions with the US military, but it is known that there are differences of opinion.

If Additional Aircraft Are Stationed at Seosan, They Can Be Used for Training

Some suggest that if the military stations additional F-35As at Seosan Air Base, the emergency-landing F-35A could be used for training without needing to be moved. The military confirmed last year a plan to acquire 20 additional F-35As at a cost of about 3.75 trillion KRW, with the initial batch expected to arrive in Korea as early as 2026. The military plans to disperse the deployment to increase the survivability of the strategic asset F-35A, which targets North Korea’s key assets, in case of emergency. Since the F-35A is a strategic asset that eliminates key targets in emergencies, the military plans to operate it efficiently and stably by dispersing it rather than concentrating it in Cheongju alone. North Korea revealed in October 2022 that it conducted a concentrated fire strike exercise simulating an ‘enemy operational airfield strike.’ An operational airfield refers to an air force base.

For security reasons, the military has not disclosed where the F-35As will be dispersed. Considering the current deployment status and operational concepts of air force bases nationwide, the distance from North Korea, and the main purposes of the F-35A in emergencies, there is speculation that a specific base in the central region is likely.