Air Refueling Aircraft Facing Shortage of Refueling Controllers

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] It has been revealed that despite the military spending 1.3 trillion won to introduce the aerial refueling aircraft Cygnus (KC-330), it has been unable to secure specialized operators, known as refueling controllers, and thus cannot conduct normal operations.

According to data submitted by the Air Force to Kim Byung-gi, a member of the National Assembly's Defense Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, the Air Force invested a budget of 1.3 trillion won in 2018 to acquire four KC-330 aerial refueling aircraft.

The Air Force established the '261 Aerial Refueling Flight Squadron' and secured five operators who received commissioned training from Airbus to become refueling controllers. However, each aerial refueling aircraft requires at least two controllers. Therefore, with the current personnel, only two out of the four aircraft can be operated. In wartime situations, for 24-hour continuous aerial refueling to proceed smoothly, all four aircraft must be deployed, but this is currently impossible. The refueling mission can only last an average of 4 to 5 hours per flight.

Assemblyman Kim pointed out, "The aerial refueling aircraft is a key asset that can enhance the combat power of our main fighter, the F-16, which has a short range," and added, "Serious disruptions are expected if a wartime situation occurs immediately." In response, the Air Force stated, "Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, personnel undergoing training overseas have not been able to return, but three additional refueling controllers are expected to be trained within this year."

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