Maiden flight for first South Korean F-35 aircraft

On 19 March, the first 5th generation, stealth F-35 aircraft destined to the Republic of  Korea Air Force made its maiden flight at Lockheed Martin Ft. Worth facility, Texas.

The Republic of Korea is faced with a growing array of threats and a challenging operating environment, both on the ground – with a complex array of air defense systems – and in the air, as multiple countries in the region continue their efforts to develop 5th Generation capabilities. The 5th Generation, stealth F-35 is the ideal platform to proactively deter these growing threats – and it is the only aircraft designed from the ground up with these threats in mind.

According to David Cenciotti, known as AW-1, the aircraft is the first South Korean 5th generation combat aircraft out of 40 F-35A Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) variant jets that the ROKAF with all aircraft slated for delivery by 2021.

- ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW -

More: 31st MEU F-35Bs join USS Wasp for historic deployment

Lockheed Martin is currently working with both the Korean and U.S. governments to ensure delivery of their F-35 aircraft on-time and on-budget to meet Korea’s national security requirements.

More: Indian Air Force requests F-35A fighter aircraft

The F-35 combines 5th Generation fighter aircraft characteristics — advanced stealth, integrated avionics, sensor fusion and superior logistics support — with the most powerful and comprehensive integrated sensor package of any fighter aircraft in history. The F-35’s advanced stealth allows pilots to penetrate areas without being detected by radars that legacy fighters cannot evade.

More photos of maiden flight for first South Korean F-35 aircraft

If you would like to show your support for what we are doing, here's where to do it.

If you wish to report grammatical or factual errors within our news articles, you can let us know by using the online feedback form.

Executive Editor

About author:

Colton Jones
Colton Jones
Colton Jones is the deputy editor of Defence Blog. He is a US-based journalist, writer and publisher who specializes in the defense industry in North America and Europe. He has written about emerging technology in military magazines and elsewhere. He is a former Air Force airmen and served at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

TRENDING NOW

Russian missiles fall on home soil during strike on Ukraine

During a recent missile strike targeting Ukraine, several Russian cruise missiles once again ended up falling on Russian territory. On November 28, malfunctioning missiles launched...