Korean F-5 retirement date brought forward
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Text and photo by Robin Polderman
In a surprise announcement, the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) revealed it has brought forward the retirement date of the remaining KF-5E/F fighters, of which less than 50 soldier on in active service.
On 13 May, during a press conference in Seongnam, the ROKAF Chief of Staff, General Son Seok-Rak, stated the F-5 will be honorably retired before the end of 2027. Initially, the F-5 fleet was set to be withdrawn ‘around 2030’. However, during last year’s International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition in Seoul the author posed the retirement question to one of the KF-5 pilots present, and received ‘2028’ as a response. It seems the ROKAF has now set the date even earlier.
In connection with the planned retirement, yet another ROKAF F-5 unit, 201 Fighter Squadron, recently disbanded. This leaves only the 101 and 105 Fighter Squadrons at Suwon to operate the Korean built F-5 aircraft, in service since the early eighties.
To bolster the 10 Fighter Wing at Suwon and to make room at Yecheon for the arrival of the first KAI KF-21s, the 202 Fighter Squadron and its FA-50 aircraft relocated. A number of FA-50s have already been noted wearing 10 FW badges on the forward fuselage.
The operational testing of the KF-21 was done at a rapid pace, and green light for production was given last year. As a result, the first deliveries of production aircraft to the 16 Fighter Wing are scheduled to take place in September of 2026. A total of 40 will be handed over to the ROKAF before the end of 2028, allowing for the early retirement of the remaining F-5 Tiger aircraft.
