South Korea has conducted an exercise to test the use of commercial freighters for moving military equipment.
During a war, civilian aircraft would be mobilised to support the delivery of supplies from overseas, as well as within South Korea, says the country’s Ministry of National Defense.
South Korea recently tested this capability as part of the larger Ulchi Freedom Shield 2024 exercise, which saw South Korean and US fighters operate 2,000 sorties during 120h of continuous flying from 19-23 August.
The commercial freighter component of the exercise saw equipment ferried from Los Angeles to Gimhae air base, which is located adjacent to Busan International airport at the tip of the Korean peninsula.
Unloading and customs clearance was conducted at Gimhae, before equipment was placed on another civilian aircraft bound for Daegu air base on the country’s southeast cost.
At Daegu, the gear was repackaged onto military pallets, loaded onto a Republic of Korea Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130, and flown to Seosan air base on the country’s northwest coast.
The defence ministry did not specify the type of cargo carried, but it might have been related to tactical fighter operations: Seosan is home to the Republic of Korea Air Force’s 20th Fighter Wing, which comprises four squadrons of Lockheed F-16s.
An image posted by the country’s Air Force Logistics Command shows a Korean Air Boeing 747-400F being unloaded as part of the exercise.
In response to a query from FlightGlobal, Korean Air had this to say about the exercise: “Korean Air participated in the Ulchi Exercise, but specific details cannot be disclosed due to contractual obligations.”
