Phantom Retires After 55 Years of Service [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

Retirement Ceremony at Air Force Suwon Base
F-35 and Other Junior Fighters Celebrate with Flypast

South Korean Air Force F-4E Phantom fighter jets on duty at sea ahead of retirement. To add historical significance to the Phantom's retirement, the Air Force also restored the Phantom's past appearances with Jungle Camouflage Pattern and Light Gray paint schemes. (Photo by the Air Force)

The 'F-4E Phantom,' which has guarded the skies over the Korean Peninsula for 55 years, is departing. Introduced to the Republic of Korea Air Force in 1969 and known as the 'Sky Goblin,' it will disappear into history after its final mission flight on the 7th.

At the retirement ceremony held that day at its home base, Suwon Air Base, a ritual was conducted to honor the Phantom, a third-generation main fighter and a 'veteran,' and to announce the generational shift to next-generation fighters. After two Phantoms completed their final flight and safely landed on the runway, they entered the event venue to report the completion of their mission. Following this, the 'junior fighters' that inherited the Phantom's mission?F-16, KF-16, FA-50, RF-16, F-15K, and F-35A?entered the airspace above the venue in sequence and performed a celebratory flight.

During the Park Chung-hee administration, when the F-4D Phantom was imported from the United States, the Phantom was considered a world-class fighter known as a 'game changer.' South Korea became the fourth country to possess the Phantom after the United States, the United Kingdom, and Iran. It was the first introduction in Asia. Subsequently, including five defense donation aircraft purchased with funds raised by the public, a total of 80 F-4Ds (Block 26?28) were introduced by 1989, serving on the front lines of homeland air defense. The introduction of the Phantom marked a turning point in South Korea's air force power, overwhelming North Korea. The Popeye air-to-ground missile launched by the Phantom has explosive power capable of penetrating 1.6 meters of reinforced concrete. It is famously nicknamed the 'Popeye missile.' With a maximum range of 100 km and an error margin within 1 meter, it was one of the missiles that North Korea feared greatly.

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