Korean Air Completes Overhaul Project for Air Force F-4 Fighter Jets

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] Korean Air has completed the overhaul maintenance project for the Air Force's F-4 Phantom fighter jets.

On the 26th, Korean Air announced that it held a ceremony on the 25th at the Korean Air Tech Center in Gangseo-gu, Busan, to commemorate the delivery of the final Air Force F-4 Phantom fighter jet after overhaul maintenance.

Korean Air has successfully completed the overhaul maintenance of a total of 437 Air Force F-4 Phantom fighter jets over 35 years from 1988 to this year. This event was organized to celebrate the delivery of the last F-4 Phantom fighter jet after overhaul maintenance. Executives and employees from Korean Air's Aerospace Business Division, as well as officials from the Air Force Logistics Command and operational units, attended.

The F-4 Phantom fighter jet was first introduced by the Republic of Korea Air Force in 1968 with six units leased free of charge from the United States as compensation for participation in the Vietnam War, and additional units were gradually acquired. It served as the main fighter jet of the Korean military from the late 1960s but has been gradually retired since the late 1990s with the introduction of the F-15K and more recently the F-35A.

Overhaul maintenance is a highly technical process that involves pre-inspection of various aircraft systems, complete disassembly of the airframe, inspection of major parts, and non-destructive testing. Defects found through this process are repaired and reinforced, and performance improvements are made. After completion, operational checks of all systems and test flights are conducted to maintain the aircraft in a condition equivalent to a new aircraft.

Korean Air began overhaul maintenance projects for the U.S. military in 1978 and has continued overhaul and modification projects for fighter jets and transport aircraft such as the F-4, F-15, F-16, C-130, A-10, as well as helicopters like the HH-60 and CH-53.

In particular, in 2020, Korean Air secured a 290 billion KRW contract for the F-16 fighter jet life extension and overhaul maintenance project and a 150 billion KRW contract for the H-53E large helicopter overhaul maintenance project, further enhancing trust in Korean Air's overhaul capabilities and specialized logistics support.

At the ceremony, Park Jung-woo, head of Korean Air's Aerospace Business Division, said, "The Korean Air Tech Center is the largest military aircraft maintenance base in the Asia-Pacific region, performing overhaul maintenance not only for the F-4 fighter jets but also for various Korean and U.S. military aircraft. Based on the accumulated technology and know-how from maintaining and upgrading over 6,000 military aircraft, we plan to continue expanding our military aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) business."

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