South Korea, - A total of eight F-35A Lightning II stealth jet units are currently owned by the South Korean Air Force (ROKAF). The Lightning will be shown to the public on 1 October to coincide with the 70th anniversary of ROKAF.
About the need for F-35, Seoul has proclaimed the purchase of 40 units of this fifth generation aircraft made by Lockheed Martin until 2021. While domestically, South Korea continues to develop the KF-X fighter jet.
One ROKAF F-35A unit was charged 107.5 million US dollars by Uncle Sam. South Korea has also put in place additional plans for as many as 20 units of this single-engine aircraft.
Yonhap News Agency reported, the inauguration of the operation of the Lightning flock in the ranks of the ROKAF will be held in the 11th Wing Combat of ROKAF located in the south of Daegu City.
On the day of the celebration, the ROKAF will also show the F-35 radar the superiority of the multi-role fighter to the public.
The F-35A is designed to be able to master air combat and carry out bombing missions against surface targets. This aircraft can detect its enemies from great distances. That way, the F-35A is very reliable as an air defense weapon.
The F-35A is capable of flying with a maximum speed of 1.8 Mach and roams to a distance of 2,170 km.
Weapons can be carried as much as 8.2 tons. Consisting of external weaponry which was attached to six arms hangers on the wings and weapons hidden in his stomach.
But when it comes to cargo without an external weapon hanger, the F-35A's internal armory capacity is only around 2.6 tons.
The first F-35A ROKAF aircraft, 001, first appeared in March 2018 followed by the training of its pilots at Luke AFB, Arizona in the spring of that year.
The first two F-35A group units were received by ROKAF in Cheong Ju, North Chungcheong Province on March 29, 2019. Roni Sontani
