S. Korean air force to take delivery of first in-flight refueling tanker
- 5 years ago
The South Korean air force is getting a major upgrade tomorrow with the arrival of its first in-flight refueling tanker.
That'll dramatically increase the range of its fighter jets.
Yonhap News cites a military official as saying that the tanker will arrive on Monday at Gimhae Air Base, near Busan, after which it'll be put through numerous tests.
Those tests will include attempting to actually refuel F-15K and KF-16 fighters in the air.
The tanker is made by the defense arm of the European manufacturer Airbus.
And with three more tankers to be added to the fleet next year, the total cost is going to be about 1-and-a-half trillion won, or about 1-point-3 billion U.S. dollars.
Right now, South Korea's fighter jets can operate for only a matter of minutes on one tank of fuel, but a refuel from one of the new plans will allow them to operate for over an hour.
That'll dramatically increase the range of its fighter jets.
Yonhap News cites a military official as saying that the tanker will arrive on Monday at Gimhae Air Base, near Busan, after which it'll be put through numerous tests.
Those tests will include attempting to actually refuel F-15K and KF-16 fighters in the air.
The tanker is made by the defense arm of the European manufacturer Airbus.
And with three more tankers to be added to the fleet next year, the total cost is going to be about 1-and-a-half trillion won, or about 1-point-3 billion U.S. dollars.
Right now, South Korea's fighter jets can operate for only a matter of minutes on one tank of fuel, but a refuel from one of the new plans will allow them to operate for over an hour.