World · East Asia & Pacific · 4 hrs ago
South Korean FA-50 pilots train for close-range air combat over the East Sea
South Korean FA-50 jets practiced close-range air combat over the East Sea on Nov.
11.
Three aircraft from the 8th Fighter Wing took part, with two acting as friendly jets and one as an adversary.
The exercise, known as a dogfight drill, trains pilots to maneuver into a position from which they could attack an opposing aircraft.
Pilots practiced tracking the opposing jet and evading a simulated missile lock, using sharp turns and flares.
The maneuvers produced forces of up to six times gravity, making it difficult to breathe or move and causing disorientation.
The report describes a 28-year-old pilot and a journalist who experienced the training from the rear seat; it also says neck and back problems are common among fighter pilots.
The drill was training, not a live engagement, and the account gives no further schedule for future exercises.
South Korean Air Force pilots conducted close-range air combat training with FA-50 fighter jets over the East Sea on November 11.
Three jets from the 103rd Fighter Squadron took part, with two acting as friendly aircraft and one as the enemy.
The exercise practised combat manoeuvres to gain an advantage over opposing aircraft in close-range engagements, known as dogfights.
A Yonhap reporter flew in the rear seat of an FA-50 and experienced manoeuvres that reached up to six times the force of gravity.
The training took place in a designated area over the East Sea after the aircraft departed Wonju Air Base.
- Who
- Pilots from the South Korean Air Force’s 103rd Fighter Squadron flew FA-50s. A Yonhap reporter rode in one aircraft.
- What
- They conducted air combat manoeuvre training for close-range engagements, or dogfights.
- When
- November 11, 2026.
- Where
- Over the East Sea, after the aircraft departed Wonju Air Base.
- Why
- To practise manoeuvres for gaining an advantageous position and defeating opposing aircraft in close-range air combat.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Three FA-50s from Wonju Air Base flew to the East Sea training area.
The aircraft began air combat manoeuvre training, with two playing friendly aircraft and one playing the enemy.
After about an hour of repeated sharp turns and other manoeuvres, the aircraft landed.
- Aircraft
- FA-50
- Unit
- 103rd Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Wing
- Aircraft in exercise
- 3
- Maximum reported force
- 6G
- Flight duration
- About 1 hour
1 source
What people are saying
I endure with a sense of duty to defend our airspace.