2024-03-09 19:18:21
33 Korean Air Force aircraft of all types gathered at Suwon base
‘Elephant Walk’ training with a phantom plane in front
Glide on the ground in dense formation with maximum armament
Farewell to the Phantoms that will be retired in June
33 Air Force fighter jets led by F-4E Phantoms are lined up on the runway at Suwon Base on the 8th to conduct ‘Elephant Walk’ training. [공군]
A total of 33 aircraft types operated by the Air Force marched down the runway and said their farewells to the ‘big brother’ F-4E Phantom, which will be honorably retired this year.
On the 8th, the Air Force held an ‘Elephant Walk’ exercise at Suwon Base in conjunction with the ROK-US joint ‘Shield of Freedom (FS)’ exercise, showing off overwhelming air power.
‘Elephant Walk’ is a training exercise in which dozens of fighter jets are equipped with maximum weaponry and taxi in close formation on the runway until the stage just before takeoff. The movement of the gray fighter jets resembled the steps of a herd of elephants, hence the nickname.
This is the first time that all types of fighter aircraft owned by the Air Force have gathered at one base to conduct this training. Through this, the Air Force celebrated the retirement of the Phantom aircraft, which will be relinquishing its airspace protection mission in June.
In the training, 8 Phantoms took the lead, followed by junior fighters such as △F-15K △KF-16 △F-16 △FA-50 △F-5 △F-35A. Two F-35As, a 5th generation stealth fighter, created a spectacular sight by flying low over the Elephant Walk formation, then landed and joined the training formation.
The Phantoms that led the retirement march showed off their majesty by being equipped with air-to-ground missiles Pop-Eye (AGM-142H) and Maverick (AGM-65D) and MK-82 bombs.
In 1969, the Air Force became the fourth in the world to introduce the Phantom, the world’s most powerful new fighter aircraft at the time, following the United States, United Kingdom, and Iran. The Air Force immediately overwhelmed North Korea’s air force with the introduction of the Phantom aircraft, which was called a ‘game changer’.
‘Goblin of the Sky’, active in over 220 units over 55 years
About 30 Air Force fighter jets, led by the F-4E Phantom, are conducting ‘Elephant Walk’ training. [공군]
The Phantom is called the ‘Goblin of the Sky’ and served as the main fighter aircraft representing the Air Force until the introduction of the KF-16 in 1994. In particular, the PopEye air-to-ground missile, one of the Phantom’s main weapons, was powerful enough to penetrate 1.6m thick reinforced concrete, boasting a range of up to 100km and an error range of less than 1m.
Since then, the Air Force has operated regarding 220 Phantom aircraft, including the F-4D, the improved F-4E, and the RF-4C reconnaissance aircraft. The Air Force has become one of the countries in the world that has operated the Phantom aircraft for the longest period of time through continuous performance improvement, airframe reinforcement, and maintenance. Currently, most of them have been retired, and only regarding 10 F-4Es are guarding the mission field.
Air Force Major Kim Do-hyung, who participated in this training, expressed his respect, saying, “It is very meaningful to be with the Phantom aircraft during its last active duty period, which will be remembered for a long time.”
Major Kim said, “We are doing our best to capture historical significance in each sortie (the number of fighter sorties),” and pledged, “I will soon switch to a different model, but I will firmly defend the Republic of Korea with the pride of being a Phantom pilot.”
Air Force Chief of Staff General Lee Young-soo also visited the Suwon base on this day and encouraged personnel participating in the training.
President Lee said, “I would like to give a warm round of applause to the Phantoms who have protected the Republic of Korea for 55 years, and to the Phantom Men who have shared the ups and downs with the Phantoms,” and asked, “Please do your best until you retire so that you can reap the glory of the end.” .
Two F-35As, a 5th generation stealth fighter, are flying low above Air Force fighter jets lined up on the runway for Elephant Walk training. [공군]
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