F-5 Fighter Jet Crashes in Hwaseong Hills... Pilot Attempted Emergency Ejection but Died

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Around 1:45 PM on the 11th, a fighter jet crashed into a mountain near Gwanhang-ri, Jeongnam-myeon, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. The pilot attempted an emergency ejection but failed to escape and died.

According to the Air Force and fire authorities, an F-5E from the Air Force Suwon Base took off and crashed while ascending. The fire authorities received multiple reports of the fighter jet crash and dispatched two fire helicopters, 18 vehicles, and 40 personnel to the scene.

It was confirmed that there were no other occupants besides the single pilot on board the crashed fighter jet. The F-5E fighter jet is one of the oldest fighter models operated by our Air Force.

The F-5E fighter jet is an upgraded version of the F-5, developed to counter the Soviet MiG-21. It was designed and produced by the American defense contractor Northrop Grumman, and since the 1980s, Korean Air has imported parts and assembled them domestically, delivering them to the Air Force under the nickname "Gyejeongho (KF-5E)".

Among the upgraded versions of the F-5, the F-5A/B are nicknamed "Freedom Fighter," and the F-5E/F are called "Tiger II." The Republic of Korea Air Force operates the F-5E and F-5F in active service.

The fighter jet that crashed that day was an F-5E model, a single-seat aircraft with one pilot on board. This model was introduced from the United States in 1975, and Korea has also assembled and produced the two-seat F-5F domestically since 1983. The F-5E/F was license-produced not only in the United States but also in Korea, Switzerland, and Taiwan, with production ending in 1987.

The F-5, most of which have exceeded or are close to the typical 30-year service life of fighter jets, is known for frequent accidents. Since 2000, 12 aircraft of this model have crashed in Korea alone, earning it the notorious reputation as an "accident-prone model."

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