The Republic of Korea faces a
heavily-armed intransigent North Korea which is equipped with up to 600 tactical jet
aircraft. In pursuit of newer and more capable weapons, in December of 1981, the Republic
of Korea signed a letter of agreement for the purchase of 36 F-16C/D Block 32 Fighting
Falcons. This made the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) the first foreign operator of
the F-16C/D model of the Fighting Falcon. This proagram was known as Peace Bridge.
These new F-16 aircraft were intended to augment the F-4D/E Phantoms and the F-5E Tiger
IIs, which were at that time the primary combat aircraft serving with the ROKAF.
The Korean program was christened Victory
Falcon in 1986 by Chun Doo Hwan, president of the Republic of Korea. Four more F-16D
Block 32s were ordered in June of 1988. The ROKAF's F-16s currently serve with the 11th
Tactical Fighter Wing based at Taegu AB in southern South Korea.
In the more ambitious Korean Fighter
Program (previously known as the F-X program), the F-16 lost out to the F/A-18 Hornet. On
December 18, 1989, the Korean government announced that they were going to acquire 120
examples of the F/A-18. The decision was based in part on a lucrative offset offer under
which most of the F/A-18s would be manufactured in Korea.
However, the planned purchase of 120
Hornets by Korea got bogged down in funding technicalities, and Korea opted for 120 more
F-16s instead. They will all be manufactured to the Block 52 standard, and will have
upgraded avionics and Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engines. They will be equipped to
carry the LANTIRN night navigation/targeting pod system and will be able to carry and fire
the AIM-120 AMRAAM and the AGM-88 HARM antiradiation missile. Under the terms of the
agreement, Lockheed at Fort Worth will manufacture the first 12 aircraft, the next 36 will
be delivered in kit form and assembled in South Korea, whereas the last 72 will built in
South Korea by Samsung Aerospace.
South Korea took delivery of the first of
these aircraft on December 2, 1994. The first five F-16s to be assembled locally by
Samsung from Lockheed Martin-supplied knockdown kits were accepted on November 9, 1995 at
the Sachon air base.
In July of 2000, it was announced that a
contract had been signed for the production of 20 Block 52 F-16C/Ds. They will be built by
Korean Aerospace Industries, and will be powered by F100-PW-229 engines, and will be
equipped with the ASPJ internal countermeasures system, APG-68(V)7 radar, LANTIRN
targeting and navigation systems. They will be capable of carrying AMRAAAM, HARM, and SLAM
missiles. First delivery is scheduled for July 2003.
Serials of ROKAF F-16s:
84-1370/1373 General Dynamics F-16D Fighting Falcon
for South Korea as 41370/41373
85-1384/1385 General Dynamics F-16D Fighting Falcon
for South Korea
85-1574/1583 General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon
to South Korea as 51574/51583
85-1584/1585 General Dynamics F-16D Fighting Falcon
to South Korea as 51584,51585
86-1586/1597 General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon
for South Korea
87-1653/1660 General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon
for South Korea as 71653/71660.
90-0938/0941 General Dynamics F-16D Fighting Falcon
sold to South Korea as 00938/00941
Serials for F-16s built wholly or in kit
form:
92-4000 Lockheed/General Dynamics F-16C Block 52G Fighting Falcon
for Korea
92-4001 Lockheed/General Dynamics F-16C Block 52H Fighting Falcon
for Korea
92-4002/4003 Lockheed/General Dynamics F-16C Block 52J Fighting Falcon
for Korea
92-4004/4008 Lockheed/General Dynamics F-16C Block 52K Fighting Falcon
for Korea
92-4009/4013 Lockheed/General Dynamics F-16C Block 52L Fighting Falcon
for Korea
92-4014/4017 Lockheed/General Dynamics F-16C Block 52M Fighting Falcon
for Korea
92-4018/4027 Lockheed/General Dynamics F-16C Block 52N Fighting Falcon
for Korea
92-4028/4031 Lockheed/General Dynamics F-16D Block 52G Fighting Falcon
for Korea
92-4032/4037 Lockheed/General Dynamics F-16D Block 52H Fighting Falcon
for Korea
92-4038 Lockheed/General Dynamics F-16D Block 52K Fighting Falcon
for Korea
92-4039 Lockheed/General Dynamics F-16D Block 52L Fighting Falcon
for Korea
92-4040/4041 Lockheed/General Dynamics F-16D Block 52M Fighting Falcon
for Korea
92-4042/4047 Lockheed/General Dynamics F-16D Block 52N Fighting Falcon
for Korea
93-4048/4099 Lockheed Martin F-16C Block 52D Fighting Falcon
c/n KC-29/KC-80. To South Korea
93-4100/4119 Lockheed Martin F-16D Block 52D Fighting Falcon
c/n KD-21/KD-40. To South Korea
Serials for those to built under license
by Samsung have not yet been announced.
This list is incomplete and inconsistent
(the numbers do not add up to the number ordered), and I would appreciate hearing from
anyone who has additions or corrections.
Sources:
- Combat Aircraft F-16, Doug Richardson,
Crescent, 1992.
- General Dynamics Aircraft and their
Predecessors, John Wegg, Naval Institute Press, 1990.
- The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and
Peter Bowers, Orion, 1987.
- United States Military Aircraft Since
1909, Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.
- F-16 Fighting Falcon--A Major Review of
the West's Universal Warplane, Robert F. Dorr, World Airpower Journal, Spring 1991.
- The World's Great Interceptor Aircraft,
Gallery, 1989.
- Modern Military Aircraft--F-16 Viper, Lou
Drendel, Squadron/Signal Publications, 1992.
- Lockheed F-16 Variants, Part 1, World
Airpower Journal, Volume 21, Summer 1995.
- E-mail from Ben Marselis
- Airscene Headlines, Air International Sept
2000.
