ROK Air Force to Disperse F-35’s from Cheongju to Multiple Airbases
This is the right thing to do considering North Korea’s capability to easily target one airbase with ballistic missiles. Spreading the F-35’s over multiple bases complicates the Kim regime’s targeting:
The South Korean air force plans to disperse its newest fleet of F-35A Lightning II stealth jets throughout the country, rather than at just one base, to better respond to North Korean threats, according to local media. Seoul agreed to purchase the 20 F-35As, expected to be operational by 2027, from the United States for nearly $2.9 billion in December.
It also agreed to buy $271 million worth of munitions for the aircraft that month. The country received its first 40 F-35As from a $7 billion deal in 2019. The new aircraft will be assigned to several, unspecified installations instead of operating out of Cheongju Air Base, which is home to the current F-35 fleet, unnamed officials said in a Yonhap News report Monday.
You can read more at the link.
I wonder if the F-35A was ever flight tested for short unimproved grass strips.
How much surface area and how thick does a landing pad need to be for a V/STOL jet?
They may already have the pads built and a layer of grass or astroturf covering it.
Never underestimate the ability of the Rube Goldberg detachment to spend taxpayers’ money.
Did the ROK AF buy the F-35B? Article states F-35A which I don’t believe is the VTOL variant.
Yes, you’re right… my mistake… I confused the A and B models…
I pay a bit more attention to bombers than fighters… An F-35 can only carry a maximum of two JASSM missiles, which must be carried externally on pylons under the wings due to their size, meaning they cannot fit inside the aircraft’s internal weapons bay, thus impacting the jet’s stealth capabilities—which is really the only reason to have an F-35 over older jets like the venerable F-15 or F-16.
Worth noting the 70 or so B-52s still flying were last built in 1963 and upgraded continuously since. The B-52H can carry up to 70,000 pounds of mines, missiles, drones, or gravity bombs. Assuming 50 were used as cruise missile trucks (both operational Wings, very unlikely), about 1,000 missiles could be launched, possibly including a couple hundred MALD-J drones to protect the JASSM missiles.
I assume the 44 B-1B (24 JASSM each, total 1,056) and 20 B-2 (16 JASSM each, total 320) bombers are also pretty good bomb trucks; but I never really got to know those aircraft.
If they were paying attention with the B-21 design specs and building in upgradeability, it could last a long time too…