The Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force (KPAAF; ;

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

: 朝鮮人民軍航空 및 反航空軍 ) is the unified military aviation force of

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

. It is the second largest branch of the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) is the military force of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Under the '' Songun'' policy, it is the central institution of North Korean society. Currently, WPK General S ...

comprising an estimated 110,000 members.North Korea Country Study
, pp. 18-19 It possesses around 950 aircraft of different types, mostly of decades-old Soviet and Chinese origin. Its primary task is to defend North Korean airspace.

History

Early years (1945–1949)

The Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force began as the "Korean Aviation Society(조선 항공대)" in 1945. It was organized along the lines of flying clubs in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. In 1946, the society became a military organization and became an aviation division of the

(KPA). It became a branch of the army in its own right in November 1948. Training personnel for what was now known as the "Korean People's Air Force Air Corps" was a major hurdle, with the Soviets reporting in May 1950 that of the 120 trained pilots, only 32 were combat qualified. The only experienced pilots in North Korea before this were those who flew for the IJAAF. These pilots were however rejected by society and the regime. Nevertheless, on June 25, 1950, the KPAF started flying support mission for the Invasion of South Korea.

Korean War: Invasion of South Korea and UN Offensive (June – November 1950)

During the early period of the war, the Il-10 Beasts were the main bombers used in the strikes against airfields in South Korea, while Yak-9/9P Franks as well other trainer and fighter aircraft were used in CAP and Strafing attacks. North Korea's Air Force also at that time had many Japanese aircraft including a Ki-54 transport. Only one encounter with

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

aircraft occurred when two unknown North Korean aircraft attacked two F-82 Twin Mustangs. The KPAF aircraft were out of range and thus failed to score any kills. On June 27, a USAF F-82 shot down a Yak-11 Trainer that was escorted by four Yak-9s. On the 29th, after Seoul fell, a strike was conducted on Suwon Airfield by 3 Il-10s and 6 Yak-9s, destroying an American

C-54 Skymaster The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian ...

on the ground. A second strike on Suwon was however intercepted by F-80C Shooting Stars. Throughout July and August, the KPAF continued in supporting the ground offensive near the Pusan Perimeter. During that time, they came into increasing contact with USAF and USN jet aircraft, resulting in more losses. North Korean Il-10 Kimpo September 1950

During the first-ever strike by carrier-borne jet aircraft on July 3, 1950,

VF-51 VF-51, Fighter Squadron 51 was an aviation unit of the United States Navy known as the "Screaming Eagles". It was originally established as VF-1 on February 1, 1943, redesignated as VF-5 on July 15, 1943, redesignated as VF-5A on November 15, 1946 ...

, from USS ''Valley Forge'' CV-45, claimed the first kill by a naval jet when an F9F-3 Panther shot down a KPAF Yak-9P. On that day, many KPAF Yak-9Ps were caught on the ground scrambling, with many reportedly taking off towards each other. In the end, the

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...

, Pyongyang East and Onjong-Ni Airfields (which were targeted in the strike), were hit successfully while the KPAF lost many of their aircraft. At the same time, USAF B-29 Superfortresses, P-80Cs, F-51 Mustangs and B-26 Invaders began to attack ground targets inside North Korea, encountering very little resistance from the KPAF. Soviet sources reported that the KPAF was no longer operating after August 10 and was finally wiped out by a strike by USN aircraft on August 22. For their part, the KPAF only shot down 3 US aircraft in air combat (a

B-29 The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...

, an L-4 and an L-5). On November 6, 1950, two Yak-9Ps shot down by F-51Ds from 67th FBS became the last KPAF propeller aircraft lost.

Reorganization (November 1950–1953)

After the heavy losses encountered in July and August 1950, the Soviets began to train the North Koreans to fly the MiG-15 Fagot, although the Soviets were the first to fly the MiG against the UN Forces. Although many North Korean pilots were experienced when they flew the MiG-15, the Soviets admitted that most were highly inexperienced.

Post-Korean War

The KPAF has on occasion deployed abroad. It deployed a fighter squadron to

North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

reportedly told the North Korean pilots "to fight in the war as if the Vietnamese sky were their own." On April 15, 1969, MiG-21s of the KPAF shot down a

Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star The Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star was an American airborne early warning and control radar surveillance aircraft operational in the 1950s in both the United States Navy (USN) and United States Air Force (USAF). The military version of the Loc ...

in international waters, in the East Sea/

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, i ...

. In 1973, a North Korean flight of MiG-21s deployed to Bir Arida to help defend southern

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

during the

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by E ...

. In 1990–91, North Korea activated four forward air bases near the

Korean Demilitarized Zone The Korean Demilitarized Zone ( Korean: ; Hanbando Bimujang Jidae) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in ...

(DMZ).

Organization

Capabilities

The KPAF operates a wide range of fighter and attack aircraft. North Korea is one of the few nations still operating the obsolete

MiG-17 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-17; NATO reporting name: Fresco) is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the Soviet Union from 1952 and was operated by air forces internationally. The MiG-17 w ...

MiG-19 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-19; NATO reporting name: Farmer) is a Soviet second generation, single-seat, twinjet fighter aircraft, the world's first mass-produced supersonic aircraft. It was the ...

MiG-21 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nickn ...

and

MiG-23 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-23; NATO reporting name: Flogger) is a variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is a third-generati ...

fighters, yet it operates more modern and fairly capable

MiG-29 The Mikoyan MiG-29 (russian: Микоян МиГ-29; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the Mi ...

fighters. Analysts have also long speculated whether the KPAF fields the MiG-25, however no evidence has yet emerged as to whether they do field MiG-25s. The KPAF's most numerous fighter is the

, which is somewhat obsolete, but still a worthy foe in

air-to-air combat Air combat manoeuvring (also known as ACM or dogfighting) is the tactical art of moving, turning and/or situating one's fighter aircraft in order to attain a position from which an attack can be made on another aircraft. Air combat manoeuvres ...

, if maintained properly and crewed by experienced pilots. An assessment by US analysts GlobalSecurity.org reported that the air force "has a marginal capability for defending North Korean airspace and a limited ability to conduct air operations against South Korea." North Korea operates a wide variety of air defense equipment, from short-range MANPADS such as 9K34 Strela-3,

9K38 Igla The 9K38 Igla (russian: Игла́, "needle", NATO reporting name SA-18 Grouse) is a Russian/Soviet Union, Soviet MANPADS, man-portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. A simplified, earlier version is known as the 9K310 Igl ...

and

ZPU-4 The ZPU (, meaning "anti-aircraft machine gun mount") is a family of towed anti-aircraft gun based on the Soviet 14.5×114mm KPV heavy machine gun. It entered service with the Soviet Union in 1949 and is used by over 50 countries worldwide. Qu ...

heavy machine guns, to long-range

SA-5 Gammon The NPO Almaz S 200 ''Angara/Vega/Dubna'' ( Russian С-200 Ангара/Вега/Дубна), NATO reporting name SA-5 '' Gammon'' (initially ''Tallinn''), is a long range, high altitude surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed by the Sov ...

and Pon'gae-5 SAM systems and large-calibre AA artillery guns. North Korea has one of the densest air defence networks in the world.

Ilyushin Il-28 The Ilyushin Il-28 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-28; NATO reporting name: Beagle) is a jet bomber of the immediate postwar period that was originally manufactured for the Soviet Air Forces. It was the Soviet Union's first such aircraft to ent ...

Beagle bombers provide a medium-range attack platform, despite being generally obsolete, although it is likely they have the ability to launch Kh-35 and

P-15 Termit The P-15 ''Termit'' (russian: П-15 "Термит"; en, termite) is an anti-ship missile developed by the Soviet Union's Raduga design bureau in the 1950s. Its GRAU designation was 4K40, its NATO reporting name was ''Styx'' or SS-N-2. China ...

missiles. A large part of the ground attack aircraft are kept in heavily fortified hangars, some of which are capable of withstanding a nearby nuclear blast. Stealth capacity is known in the KPAF through researching in radar-absorbing paint and inventory deception. It has been noted that the North Korean Air Force operates a few MD-500 helicopters that were exported to North Korea by West German merchants through Soviet vessels in the 1980s. Several were seen equipped with Soviet AT-3 anti-tank missiles during a military parade commemorating 60 years since Korean War armistice. They later made another public appearance at the Wonsan Air Festival in which they were seen sporting the new green camouflage paint scheme that has also been incorporated on An-2s and

Mi-17 The Mil Mi-17 (NATO reporting name: Hip) is a Soviet-designed Russian military helicopter family introduced in 1975 (Mi-8M), continuing in production at two factories, in Kazan and Ulan-Ude. It is known as the Mi-8M series in Russian service. ...

s that have also been displayed at the air show. KPAF possesses precision guided munitions such as

Kh-25 The Kh-25/Kh-25M (russian: Х-25; NATO: AS-10 'Karen) is a family of Soviet lightweight air-to-ground missiles with a modular range of guidance systems and a range of 10 km. The anti-radar variant (Kh-25MP) is known to NATO as the AS-12 ' K ...

and

Kh-29 The Kh-29 (russian: Х-29; NATO: AS-14 'Kedge; GRAU: 9M721) is a Soviet air-to-surface missile with a range of 10–30 km. It has a large warhead of 320 kg, has a choice of laser, infrared, active radar or TV guidance, and is typically ...

air to ground missiles along jamming pods such as SPS-141 for SAM suppression. At least some of Il-28's/H-5's bombers are capable of launching air launched variant of Kumsong-3 anti-ship cruise missiles with known flight tests done in 2008 and 2011. Ground launched coastal defense variant of Kumsong-3 has range of 240 kilometers. The KPAF still incorporates much of the original Soviet air tactics, as well as North Korean experience from the UN bombings during the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

Personnel

From 1978 to 1995, General Jo Myong-rok was the commander of the air force. In October 1995, he was promoted to vice-marshal and appointed Chief of the KPA General Political Bureau and a member of the

Korean Workers' Party The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the founding and sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from the merger of the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party of ...

Central Military Committee. His place as commander of the Air Force was taken by Colonel General

O Kum-chol O Kum-chol ( ko, 오금철; born February 24, 1947) is an army general and politician in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ( North Korea). He is a vice-chief of the General Staff Department of the Korean People's Army and a member of the ...

Annual flying hours

The number of annual flying hours (AFH) per pilot is, like almost every other aspect of the KPAF, very hard to estimate. Most sources on the subject abstain from giving hard numbers, but all of them estimate the average annual flying hours per pilot as being 'low' to 'very low'. The number of annual flying hours is very important in estimating the individual skill and experience of the pilots of an air force: more annual flying hours suggests better trained pilots. Most estimates present a rather grim picture: AFH per pilot for the KPAF are said to be only 15 or 25 hours per pilot each year - comparable to the flying hours of air forces in ex-Soviet countries in the early 1990s. In comparison, most NATO fighter pilots fly at least 150 hours a year. Ground training, both in classrooms, on instructional airframes or in a flight simulator can only substitute for 'the real thing' to a certain degree, and the low number of modern jet trainers in the KPAF arsenal points to a very modest amount of flying time for the formation of new pilots. There are a number of possible explanations for the low AFH: concern over the aging of equipment, scarcity of spare parts - especially for the older aircraft - difficulties with worn airframes, fear of defection and the scarcity of fuel are all contributing factors. It is very likely however that some 'elite' pilots and regiments receive considerably more flying hours. Especially those equipped with modern aircraft and tasked with homeland defence - like the 57th regiment flying

s and the 60th regiment flying

s - are receiving multiple times the average AFH per pilot; however, aging equipment, the scarcity of fuel and the general economic crisis in North Korea will affect these regiments as well, and keep their AFH low compared to

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

AFH.

Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. AFP has regional headquarters in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong Kong and Washington, ...

reported on January 23, 2012, that the KPAF had conducted more flight training than average in 2011. ''

The Chosun Ilbo ''The Chosun Ilbo'' (, ) is a daily newspaper in South Korea and the oldest daily newspaper in the country. With a daily circulation of more than 1,800,000, the ''Chosun Ilbo'' has been audited annually since the Audit Bureau of Circulations w ...

'' reported on March 29, 2012, that the KPAF had dramatically increased the number of flights to 650 per day. ''Tongil News'' reported on July 20, 2013, that KPAF's fighter jets and helicopters had conducted 700 sorties a day for 11 days as reported by a source in South Korean government on March 13 after

Key Resolve Key Resolve, previously known as Reception, Staging, Onward Movement, Integration ( RSOI) which was previously known as Team Spirit even earlier, is an annual command post exercise (CPX) held by United States Forces Korea with the Republic of Ko ...

military exercise started on March 11. Seven hundred hours of sorties is considered by the United States military as the capability to wage all-out war.

Structure

Following is a list of bases where North Korean Army Air Force aircraft are permanently based.

Air bases

; Northwestern area (1st Air Combat Division, HQ Kaechon) ; West Coast and Pyongyang area (''1st Air Combat Division) - HQ: Kaechon''

is also the location of HQ, KPAAF * Uiju - 24th Air Regiment (H-5/Il-28, MiG-21PFM) *

Kaechon Kaech'ŏn or Kaechon ( , ; Hangul: , Hanja: ) is a city in South P'yŏngan province, North Korea. Geography The Myohyangsan, Changansan, Ch'ŏnsŏngsan, and Ch'ŏngryongsan mountain ranges come together in Kaech'ŏn. The highest peak is Paekt' ...

- 35th Air Regiment (J-6/MiG-19) * Onchon - 36th Air Regiment (J-6/MiG-19) * Sunchon - 55th Air Regiment (Su-25K), 57th Air Regiment (MiG-29/UB) * Panghyon - 49th Air Regiment (J-5/MiG-17F, MiG-21PFM, Mi-2) * Pukchang - 58th Air Regiment (MiG-23ML/UM), 60th Air Regiment (MiG-21Bis) ; West coast and Pyongyang area (''5th Transport Division) - HQ: Taechon'' *

Taechon T'aechŏn County or Thaechŏn County (''in North Korean romanization'') is a ''kun'', or county, in central North P'yŏngan province, North Korea. It borders Taegwan and Tongch'ang to the north, Unsan and Nyŏngbyŏn to the east, Pakch'ŏn ...

- ?? Air Regiment (Y-5/An-2) *

Kwaksan Kwaksan County is a ''kun'' ( ko, 군, 郡, 'county') in coastal southern North P'yŏngan province, North Korea. It faces the Yellow Sea to the south. By land, it is bordered by Kusŏng city in the north, Chŏngju in the east, and Sŏnch'� ...

- ?? Air Regiment (Y-5/An-2) *

Kangdong Kangdong County, is one of Pyongyang's two suburban counties. In 1983 it was separated from South P'yongan Province and assumed direct governance by the Pyongyang City People's Committee. It is bordered by Sŏngch'ŏn-gun (Songchon County), Sou ...

- ?? Air Regiment (CJ-6/BT-6) *

Sonchon Sŏnch'ŏn County is a ''kun'', or county, on the coast of the Yellow Sea in west-central North P'yŏngan province, North Korea. To the north it borders Ch'ŏnma, to the east Kusŏng and Kwaksan, and to the west Tongrim; to the south, it bor ...

- ?? Air Regiment (Mi-2) * Pukchang East - 65th Air Regiment (Mi-8T, Mi-26), 64th Air Regiment (MD-500) * Pyongyang Sunan Intl - Special Service Air Transport Wing (KPAAF-CAAK) (

Air Koryo Air Koryo () is the state-owned national airline of North Korea, headquartered in Sunan-guyŏk, Pyongyang. Based at Pyongyang International Airport (IATA: FNJ), it operates international scheduled and charter services to points in Asia. Hist ...

) (Tu-134B/Tu-154B-2/Il-62M/Il-76MD/Il-18/An-24/An-148) * Mirim Airfield - ?? VIP Unit (Mi-17) This base serves as a light transport base and closed sometime in the 1990s, now used as a KPA training facility. ; DMZ area (''3rd Air Combat Division) - HQ: Hwangju'' * Chunghwa - Headquarters, Air Defense and Combat Command * Taetan - 4th Air Regiment (J-5/MiG-17F, MiG-21PFM, Mi-2) * Nuchon-ni - 32nd Air Regiment (J-5/MiG-17, MiG-21PFM, Mi-2) * Kwail - 33rd Air Regiment (J-5/MiG-17F), 11th Air Regiment (J-5/MiG-17F) *

Hwangju Hwangju County is a county in North Hwanghae province, North Korea. Geography Hwangju is bordered to the northwest by Sariwŏn, to the northeast by Songrim and Kangnam, to the southwest by Yŏnt'an, to the south by Pongsan, and to the southeas ...

- 50th Air Regiment (MiG-21PFM) * Koksan - 86th Air Regiment (Q-5A) * Ayang-ni - 63rd Air Regiment (Mi-24D) ; East Coast area (''2nd Air Combat Division) - HQ: Toksan'' * Toksan - 56th Air Regiment (MiG-21PF/J-7/F-7) * Chanjin-Up - 25th Air Regiment (Il-28/H-5); ??th Air Regiment (MiG-21PFM) *

Wonsan Wŏnsan (), previously known as Wŏnsanjin (), Port Lazarev, and Genzan (), is a port city and naval base located in Kangwŏn Province, North Korea, along the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, on the Sea of Japan and the provincial capital. ...

- 46th Air Regiment (MiG-21PFM,F-5), 66th Air Regiment (Mi-14PL) * Kuum Ni - 71st Air Regiment (MiG-21PFM) * Hwangsuwon - 72nd Air Regiment (MiG-21PFM) ; East Coast area (''6th Transport Division) - HQ: Sondok'' * Sondok - ?? Air Regiment (Y-5/An-2) * Yonpo - ?? Air Regiment (Y-5/An-2) *

Manpo Manpo () is a city of northwestern Chagang Province, North Korea. As of 2008, it had an estimated population of 116,760. It looks across the border to the city of Ji'an, Jilin province, China. History Manp'o was incorporated as a city in October ...

- ?? Air Regiment (Y-5/An-2) * Kuktong - ?? Air Regiment (Y-5/An-2) * Kowon - Air Transport Wing (6 TD) (Z-5/Mi-4/Mi-8/Mi-17) * Pakhon - Air Transport Wing (6 TD) (Z-5/Mi-4/Mi-8/Mi-17/Mi-2) ; Far Northeast area (''8th Training Division) - HQ: Orang'' * Samiyon Airfield - ?? Training Regiment (F-5A) * Hyesan Airfield - unknown unit * Kilchu West + East - ?? Air Regiment (Mi-2) * Orang - 41st Air Regiment (MiG-15UTI/J-2/MiG-15) * Sungam-Chonhjin - Kimchaek Air Force Academy (BT-6) * Kyongsong - Flight Officers School (BT-6) * Kang Da Ri Airfield - Underground runway near Wonsan, under construction. * Tongchŏn Airfield(MiG-21PF/J-7/F-7) * Inhung - Helipads (Mi-8/Ka-27 (possibly Ka-28/Ka-29/Ka-32)) () * Hamhŭng Airfield(MiG-21PF/J-7/F-7) * Sungam Airfield - Air Transport Wing (Y-5/An-2) * Riwon north Airfield - (MiG-15UTI/J-2/MiG-15)

Inventory

Current aircraft

Armament

Equipment

Ranks and uniforms

Ranks

The Korean People's Air Force has five categories of ranks: general officers, senior officers, junior officers, non-commissioned officers, and airmen.

Enlisted

Officers

Marshals

Occasionally KPA Air Force officers are promoted above General of the Air Force. In that case, they wear an army-style uniform, since ranks from Vice-Marshal and above are not divided into army, navy and air force.

Uniforms

Generally as a separate service in the KPA, the service wears the same KPA uniforms but with air force blue peaked caps (especially for officers) or kepi-styled caps for men and berets for women, worn with their full dress uniforms. Pilots wear helmets and flight suits when on parade and when in flight duty while air defense personnel wear the same duty dress uniforms as their ground forces counterparts but with air force blue borders on the caps.

Defections

Due to the political condition of North Korea, several North Korean pilots from the KPAF defected with their jets. These incidents include: * On September 21, 1953, 21-year-old No Kum-sok, a senior

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

, flew his

MiG-15 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (russian: Микоя́н и Гуре́вич МиГ-15; USAF/DoD designation: Type 14; NATO reporting name: Fagot) is a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union. The MiG-15 was one of ...

across to the South and landed at Kimpo Air Base near

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

. Considered an intelligence bonanza, since this fighter plane was then the best the

Communist bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...

had. No was awarded the sum of $100,000 ($ in dollars) and the right to reside in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. He is now a U.S. citizen. * On August 5, 1960, a

Shenyang J-5 The Shenyang J-5 (Chinese: 歼-5) (NATO reporting name ''Fresco'') is a Chinese-built single-seat jet interceptor and fighter aircraft derived from the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. The J-5 was exported as the F-5 and was originally designated ...

landed at Kimpo, the second time a J-5 appeared in South Korea. This aircraft was kept by South Korea and was briefly flown in South Korean markings before being scrapped. * In February 1983, Lee Ung-pyong used a training exercise to defect and landed his Shenyang J-6 at an airfield in

. According to the then common practice, he received a commission in the

Republic of Korea Air Force The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF; ko, 대한민국 공군; RR: ''Daehanminguk Gong-gun''), also known as the ROK Air Force or South Korean Air Force, is the aerial warfare service branch of South Korea, operating under the Ministry of N ...

(ROKAF), eventually becoming a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

and teaching at the South Korean academy until his death in 2002. He received a reward of 1.2 billion

South Korean won The Korean Republic won, unofficially the South Korean won ( Symbol: ₩; Code: KRW; Korean: 대한민국 원) is the official currency of South Korea. A single won is divided into 100 jeon, the monetary subunit. The jeon is no longer used ...

. * On May 23, 1996,

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Lee Chul-su defected with another Shenyang J-6, number 529, to

Suwon Air Base Suwon Air Base is a Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) base near Suwon city. Units The base is home to the ROKAF's 10th Fighter Wing (제10전투비행단), comprising: *101st Fighter Squadron flying KF-5E/KF-5F/F-5F *153rd Fighter Squadron f ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. He reportedly left behind his wife and two children. Lee was rewarded 480 million South Korean Won (approx. 400 thousand

US dollars The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

). He is now a colonel in the ROKAF and is an academic instructor.

References

External links

The North Korean Air Force by Google Earth:
a compilation of Google Earth images of North Korean fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, transports, and special-operations aircraft

by Jan Josef Safarik {{Authority control Military of North Korea Military units and formations established in 1945