According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea’s Air Force has completed the deployment of 40 F-35A radar-evading fighters, four of which arrived earlier this week.
The four F-35As arrived at an airfield in Cheongju, 140 kilometres south of Seoul, on Tuesday, bringing an end to a year-long deployment programme. The deployment of the 40 jets was supposed to end last year, but it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Yonhap news agency.
According to Air Force officers, the warplane, as the centrepiece of the country’s air power, is expected to boost operational capabilities and strengthen readiness against potential enemy forces.
Despite such expectations, the Air Force has grounded all F-35As after one of them made an emergency landing earlier this month during a training session due to avionic system issues.
The F-35A is the fighter’s air force variant, while the F-35B and F-35C are designed for maritime and aircraft carrier operations, respectively.
