[Yang Nakgyu's Defence Club] Real-time Communication Failure Between ROK-US Fighter Jets

It has been revealed that South Korean and U.S. fighter jets are unable to smoothly communicate operational information necessary for wartime situations. Amid ongoing combined air exercises in response to North Korea's provocations, there are concerns that the differing system versions urgently require performance upgrades.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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According to the military on the 18th, the representative main fighter jet deployed in the combined air exercises that began yesterday is the F-16. Although South Korea and the U.S. use the same model, the versions of the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) equipment used to distinguish between friend and foe and share information differ.

The U.S. decided to replace the IFF equipment version Mode-4 with Mode-5 starting in 2020. Mode-4 is vulnerable to jamming that disrupts security and the performance of electronic devices. The U.S. notified the South Korean military of this through the ROK-U.S. Command and Control Interoperability Committee in 2010. However, the Joint Chiefs of Staff overlooked this until the Board of Audit and Inspection pointed it out in 2014, after which performance upgrades were pursued.

Due to delays in the IFF equipment procurement project, the Joint Chiefs requested the U.S. to postpone the schedule for switching the U.S. Forces Korea’s fighter jets to Mode-5 until last year. The U.S. began deploying F-16 fighter jets equipped with Mode-5 to U.S. Forces Korea starting this year, and on the 12th, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command delivered the first upgraded F-16 with enhanced IFF and other systems to Gunsan Air Base in Jeonbuk. The U.S. Forces Korea plans to complete performance upgrades on about 40 F-16s within this year. However, the Republic of Korea Air Force’s KF-16 fighter jets have only upgraded about 30 out of approximately 130 units. The remaining jets are expected to be upgraded only after 2025.

The tactical data link, Link-16, is also problematic. Link-16 is a device that shares real-time video and images for enemy detection, attack target designation, and engagement commands among fighter jets. The U.S. military plans to complete Link-16 upgrades on F-16s by the end of this year. In contrast, the ROK Air Force plans to continue using the older version of Link-16 until 2025.

The military maintains that even if the KF-16 performance upgrades are delayed, communication through the Mobile Command and Control Radar Center (MCRC) will prevent disruptions to combined exercises. However, concerns remain that real-time data and situational sharing between flight formations during ROK-U.S. combined exercises will not be possible. A government official stated, “IFF equipment is necessary not only for fighter jets but also for 101 weapon systems including naval vessels and air defense guided missiles,” adding, “If our military does not expedite performance upgrades, information sharing between South Korea and the U.S. during combined exercises will inevitably be blocked.”

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