Air Force Names F-35A 'Freedom Night'

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] The Air Force named the latest stealth fighter F-35A, introduced last year, as 'Freedom Knight,' but it has been revealed that there was no official announcement. There are criticisms that this was a 'low-key' mode taken in consideration of North Korea's backlash.

According to the Air Force on the 6th, the name Freedom Knight for the F-35A was decided in December last year. The name was selected through an internal contest.

Freedom Knight means a knight who protects the noble values of the Republic of Korea (liberal democracy) with stealth capabilities. It is known to reflect the fact that the F-35 inherits the mission of the F-5 (Freedom Fighter), which has long protected the free world.

However, there are criticisms that the Air Force's silence about the name while introducing the latest fighter is excessive consideration of North Korea. Previously, the Air Force also held the F-35A operationalization ceremony privately under the supervision of the Air Force Chief of Staff.

This contrasts with the case of the F-15K in 2005, which was named 'Slam Eagle' and held a large-scale naming ceremony.

The 5th generation fighter F-35A has a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 and a combat radius of 1,093 km, armed with air-to-air missiles, Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM), and Small Diameter Bombs (SDB). The Air Force separately selects names for its core assets. The aerial refueling aircraft KC-330 is named 'Cygnus,' meaning the constellation Cygnus, and the E-737 airborne control aircraft is called 'Peace Eye,' meaning a guardian who protects peace.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.