ROKAF rocks during RF-A 15-1

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Ashley Nicole Taylor
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Republic of Korea air force airmen from the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing arrived with KF-16D Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft to join other RED FLAG-Alaska participants for the final joint exercise of the calendar year.

The KF-16D fighter aircraft were flown for the first time across the Pacific Ocean, one year after the ROKAF's F-15K Slam Eagle fighter aircraft flew a similar flight across the Pacific during RF-A 13-3.

The flight leader for the ferry mission, Maj. WooYoul Lee, 120th Fighter Squadron pilot, led his crew for more than 50,000 miles.

"Even though we experienced some aircraft malfunctions while flying here, we were able to counter the issue and were successful," said Lee. "It was really an honor for me to have the role of mission leader for the ferry flight coming in and I really appreciate my leadership allowing me that opportunity."

The ROKAF pilots overcame not only logistical challenges, but also language barriers.

"The language barrier is a big problem for most international pilots participating in this exercise and there is not a measure to counter that, the only thing we can do is practice," said Lee. "Even though we cannot use the translator in our mission planning and debriefing, we are getting better and adapting every day."

Language barriers also affected ROKAF maintainers who upheld mission effectiveness with help from their American counterparts.

"The nomenclature of the equipment is a little different from what we call it back home, so in that aspect we had a few problems," said Master Sgt. Byung Woo Kim, 120th Aircraft Maintenance Flight maintainer. "Regardless, U.S. Air Force members were all very helpful; we worked through the situation, and they provided the best assistance."

The ROKAF Red Flag Team members also learned to succeed with less personnel than they are used to having available.

"Due to the small number of members deployed here, we had to complete not just our own missions, but help each other out and back each other up with their missions," said Kim. "I was able to learn about the difficulties my other teammates were facing, so it's been a great opportunity for us to understand each other and will be beneficial for us when we get back to Korea."

As the exercise wraps up, the ROKAF Red Flag team can take its RF-A experiences back to home station.

"This has been one of the best memories I've had and I would really appreciate the opportunity to come here again--hopefully sometime in the summer, like July," said Kim. "Seeing all the aircraft was a very meaningful experience."