1940s Shortly after the end of
World War II, the South Korean Air Construction Association was founded on 10 August 1946, to publicize the importance of air power. Despite the then-scanty status of Korean armed forces, the first air unit was formed on 5 May 1948, under the direction of Dong Wi-bu, the forerunner to the modern South Korean
Ministry of National Defense. On 13 September 1949, the
United States contributed 10
L-4 Grasshopper observation aircraft to the South Korean air unit. An Army Air Academy was founded in January 1949, and the ROKAF was officially founded in October 1949.
1950s The 1950s were a critical time for the ROKAF as it expanded tremendously during the
Korean War. At the outbreak of the war, the ROKAF consisted of 1,800 personnel but was equipped with only 20 trainers and
liaison aircraft, including 10
North American T-6 Texan advanced trainers purchased from
Canada. The
North Korean Air Force had acquired a considerable number of
Yak-9 and
La-7 fighters from the
Soviet Union, dwarfing the ROKAF in terms of size and strength. During the war, though, the ROKAF acquired 110 aircraft - 79 fighter-bombers, three fighter squadrons, and one fighter wing. The first combat aircraft received was
North American F-51D Mustangs, along with a contingent of
US Air Force instructor pilots under the command of Major
Dean Hess, as part of
Bout One Project. The ROKAF participated in bombing operations and flew independent sorties. After the war, the ROKAF Headquarters were moved to Daebangdong,
Seoul. Air Force University was also founded in 1956. In 1953, ROKAF Technical School developed a liaison aircraft named
Buhwal-ho, which is the first domestic-developed powered aircraft of Korea. s were among the first fighter aircraft for the ROKAF
1960s To counter the threat of possible North Korean aggression, the ROKAF underwent a substantial capability enhancement. The ROKAF acquired
North American T-28 Trojan trainers,
North American F-86D Sabre night- and all-weather interceptors,
Northrop F-5 fighters and
McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom fighter bombers. Air Force Operations Command was established in 1961 to secure efficient command and control facilities. Air Force Logistics Command was established in 1966, and emergency runways were constructed for emergency use during wartime. The Eunma Unit was founded in 1966 to operate
Curtiss C-46 Commando transport aircraft used to support
Republic of Korea Army and
Republic of Korea Marine Corps units serving in South Vietnam during the
Vietnam War.
1970s The ROKAF was posed with a security risk, with an increasingly belligerent North Korea throughout the 1970s. The South Korean government increased its expenditure on the ROKAF, resulting in the purchase of
Northrop F-5E Tiger II fighters in August 1974 and F-4E fighter-bombers. Support aircraft, such as
Fairchild C-123 Providers and
Grumman S-2 Trackers were also purchased at the time. Great emphasis was placed on the flight training program; new trainer aircraft (
Cessna T-41 Mescalero and
Cessna T-37) were purchased, and the Air Force Education & Training Command was also founded in 1973 to consolidate and enhance the quality of personnel training.
1980s The ROKAF concentrated on the qualitative expansion of aircraft to catch up to the strength of the North Korean Air Force. In 1982, Korean variants of the F-5E, the Jegong-ho were first produced. The ROKAF gathered a good deal of information on the North Korean Air Force when Captain Lee Woong-Pyeong, a North Korean pilot, defected to South Korea. The Korean Combat Operations Information Center was soon formed and the Air Defence System was automated to attain air superiority against
North Korea. When the
1988 Seoul Olympics was held in
South Korea, the ROKAF contributed to the success of this event by helping to oversee the entire security system. The ROKAF also moved its headquarters and the Air Force Education & Training Command to other locations. 40
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters were also purchased in 1989.
1990s South Korea committed its support for coalition forces during the
Persian Gulf War, forming the "Bima Unit" to fight in the war. The ROKAF also provided
airlift support for peacekeeping operations in
Somalia in 1993. The increased participation in international operations depicted the ROKAF's elevated international position. Over 180
KF-16 fighters of
F-16 Block 52 specifications were introduced as part of the Peace Bridge II & III program in 1994. In 1997, for the first time in Korean aviation history, female cadets were accepted into the
Korean Air Force Academy.
2000s The last of the old South Korean 60 F-5A/B fighters were all retired in August 2007, and they were replaced with the F-15K and F/A-50. On 20 October 2009, Bruce S. Lemkin, deputy undersecretary of the U.S. Air Force, said that the ROKAF's limited intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities increased the risk of instability on the Korean Peninsula and suggested the purchase of American systems such as the
F-35 Lightning II to close this gap.
2010s The South Korean Air Force also expressed interest in acquiring the
RQ-4 Global Hawk remotely piloted vehicle (RPV) and several
Joint Direct Attack Munition conversion kits to further improve its intelligence and offensive capabilities. In 2014, Northrop Grumman awarded a contract to provide South Korea with four RQ-4 Global. The South Korean Air Force acquired 40 F-35s and +20 additional F-35.
2020s In 2021, the Space Operations Center was established at the Air Force Headquarters. On 22 October 2023, the ROKAF conducted its first-ever trilateral exercise with the United States and Japanese air forces near the Korean Peninsula. On 7 June 2024,
F-4E Phantom II, which were deployed at the 10th Fighter Wing based in
Suwon, were retired. On 6 March 2025, a
KF-16 accidentally
released eight bombs over
Pocheon,
Gyeonggi Province, injuring 15 people and damaging buildings and vehicles. ==Organization==