Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

The Korean Air Force has wonderful control and maintenance capabilities

Our Air Force’s fighter jet, KF-16, flew with Lieutenant General Russell J. Handy, commander of the U.S. 11th Air Force, on board on October 10 at 2:20 a.m. (KST).

The Lieutenant General experienced a defensive counterair mission, which protects around 30 Korea-U.S. large offensive forces, and aerial refueling training as well.

The U.S. 11th Air Force Command is affiliated with the U.S. Pacific Air Force Command, along with the 7th and 5th Air Force commands, located in Korea and Japan, respectively, and is located at Elmendorf air base in Alaska.

“It was really fantastic. I could see Korean pilots' and mechanics’ hard work, and I expect that the Korean Air Force will keep participating in the Red Flag training to show its best ability,” said the Lieutenant General after his flight.

He was commissioned as a military officer in 1983, successively filled the command of the U.S. 57th Air Division, and chief of staff, U.S. Pacific Air Force, then took office as the U.S. 11th Air Force commander in August 2013. He is a veteran pilot with 3,600 hours of flight experience including previous time with the F-15, and now his main aircraft is the F-22A. It was his first time with the F-16 series fighter.

By Seung-Bok, Lee < yhs920@dema.mil.kr >
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