[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] F-15 Fighter Jet Mission Site Hotter Than the Runway

Runway Surface Temperature Nears 50°C Amid Heatwave
Mission Accomplished from Weapon Mounting to Final Inspection

‘22 to 198.’ This was the number of fighter jets possessed by South Korea and North Korea during the Korean War. North Korea had nine times more fighter jets than we did. While North Korea received fighter jets from the former Soviet Union, our Air Force did not. We only had liaison and training aircraft. Lacking proper firepower, we had to resort to throwing grenades in the air. However, our fighting spirit was strong. Reserve Colonel Kim Doo-man led the first sortie of the ‘Seunghori Railroad Bridge Blocking Operation,’ showcasing the independent operational capability of our Air Force, and became the first in the Republic of Korea Air Force to achieve 100 combat sorties. Now, 73 years after the outbreak of the Korean War, our Air Force has become formidable. To watch the flight of our main fighter jet, the F-15K, I visited the Air Force Daegu Air Base (11th Fighter Wing) on the 3rd.

11 a.m. Temperature 38℃. The term ‘Daefrica’ (Daegu + Africa), coined because it is as hot as Africa, suddenly made sense. However, the heatwave felt mild once inside the base entrance. The Daegu base runway, heated by the midsummer sun, reached a surface temperature close to 50 degrees Celsius. The sunscreen on my face began to melt.

At the outdoor hangar (igloo), weapon loading on the F-15K fighter jets was in full swing. They were loading AIM-120C AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) missiles with a range of 100 km, which are also equipped on the F-35 stealth fighters. The missiles were carefully loaded onto the weapon mounting equipment, which looked like a flat forklift, and then attached under the fighter jets. The soldiers handled them cautiously. The F-15K can be equipped with air-to-air missiles, AGM-84 long-range air-to-ground missiles, GBU-31 air-to-ground bombs, and more, making it the main fighter jet of the Air Force.

As we moved to the runway, gunshots could be heard here and there. The Bird Alert Team (BAT) from the Operations Control Battalion was firing ‘shotguns’ (blank cartridges) to scare away birds from the runway. If a bird collides with the canopy (cockpit cover) of a high-speed maneuvering fighter jet, it can cause severe damage to the aircraft. The BAT also has another mission: removing foreign objects from the runway. Even a small screw entering a fighter jet engine can make flight impossible, so despite adverse weather conditions, they walk the runway at least once daily to remove debris.

The armed F-15K fighter jets moved along the aircraft taxiway to the runway. A final check (LCI - Last Chance Inspection) was conducted before takeoff. LCI is the process of inspecting the aircraft’s condition immediately before takeoff and after landing. About ten LCI personnel from the Aircraft Maintenance Battalion were on standby. Heat waves rose like flames from the asphalt, mixing with the heat radiating from the fighter jets, making it impossible to see the inspection from 30 meters away. However, the LCI personnel entered under the fighter jets without hesitation. They checked the aircraft engine intakes and exhausts, tires, and whether external equipment was properly attached. They also checked for fuel leaks by touch and smell to ensure safety. When the personnel signaled ‘all clear’ by raising clenched fists to the pilots, the F-15K pilots responded by shaking the main and auxiliary wings left and right, as if replying.

After completing their flight missions, the F-15K jets underwent a Clean Water Rinse operation, where water jets showered the aircraft. This operation washes off salt deposits accumulated during missions over maritime airspace and also cools the heated aircraft during operations. As soon as the fighter jets landed, water jets sprayed like fountains from nozzles installed on both sides, removing salt and contaminants from the aircraft surface to prevent corrosion.

Sergeant Jeong Su-young, a maintenance chief, said, “Aircraft maintenance is not only about safety but is directly linked to national combat power, so nothing can be neglected. Especially in summer, due to hot and humid weather, we pay close attention to safety issues such as fire and electrical leakage.”

On another runway, the U.S. Air Force’s F-16 fighters and the ‘Tank Killer’ A-10 attack aircraft were returning after completing their flights. It was a glimpse of the strength of the ROK-U.S. alliance displayed in the sky.

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