The U.S. Air Force is relocating nearly three dozen F-16 fighter jets in South Korea in order to beef up its air power closer to the north.
At the end of July, F-16s based out of Kunsan Air Base began moving to Osan Air Base, several dozen miles north, closer to the demilitarized zone with North Korea. 31 F-16s based out of Kunsan Air Base will shift to Osan Air Base, creating a new “super squadron” at the base. It’s the second phase of the Air Force’s tests of the super squadron concept, as the force works to “consolidate air power and increase combat capability on the Korean Peninsula,” per releases.
The Air Force began exploring the idea of a super squadron last summer. The test formation, which boosts a squadron by a third of its fighter component, started with the 36th Fighter Squadron, which added nine F-16s to bring its total number of jets to 31. It also moved 150 airmen to help bolster the squadron. At the time Lt. Gen. David. R. Iverson, head of the Seventh Air Force and U.S. Forces Korea deputy commander, described the experiment as “an opportunity for us to see if squadrons of this size increase our training effectiveness while also increasing our combat capability if deterrence fails.”
Now the Air Force is initiating phase two of the tests, with the creation of a brand new super squadron at Osan. Alongside the 31 planes, roughly 1,000 airmen from the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan will transfer to the northern air base as part of this build up. The Air Force described the second phase as a “temporary” shift. The second super squadron is expected to be operational by October, and the second phase will last through October 2026.
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“We’re working hand-in-hand with the Wolfpack to ensure a smooth transition of both personnel and equipment in preparation for Phase II,” Col. Ryan Ley, commander of the 51st Fighter Wing based out of Osan, said in a statement. “The 51st Fighter Wing is leading the charge on the Super Squadron Test. I’m proud of what the Mustangs have accomplished already, and I look forward to testing the limits of what we can do over the next year.”
According to the Air Force, the 51st Fighter Wing will work on expanding bilateral training at Kunsan Air Base with the Republic of Korea Air Force during this period.
The super squadron build up is the latest in a wider set of efforts by the Air Force to strengthen its fighter jet presence in east Asia. Over the last three years, the Air Force began phasing out its aging F-15C/Ds from Kadena Air Base in Japan, with the plan to replace them with F-15EXs. The Air Force has temporarily rotated in F-15Es and F-22s during this time.
