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From: Miloch <Miloch_member@newsguy.com>
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Subject: Korean People's Army Air Force
Date: 28 Apr 2017 15:32:40 -0700
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_People%27s_Army_Air_Force
The Korean People's Army Air Force ; 'Choson Inmin Kun Kongun' ; Hanja:) is the
appellation of the unified military aviation forces of North Korea. The KPAF is
the second largest branch of the Korean People's Army comprising an estimated
110,000 members. It possesses 940 aircraft of different types; mostly of Soviet
and Chinese origin. Its primary task is to defend North Korean airspace. When
the People's Army was forged with Soviet assistance, the aviation unit became
its air force branch on August 20, 1947. North Korea has celebrated August 20 as
Air Force Foundation Day ever since.
Kim Il-sung set up the Aviation Association branches in Pyongyang, Sinuiju,
Chongjin and other parts of the country in 1945. In December 1945 he merged them
into the Aviation Association of Korea. The air force became a separate service
in 1948. The KPAF incorporates much of the original Soviet air tactics, as well
as North Korean experience from the UN bombings during the Korean War.
The KPAF has on occasion deployed abroad to assist fellow socialist states, with
a North Korean flight of MiG-21s deploying to Bir Arida to help defend southern
Egypt during the Yom Kippur War.
In 1990-91, North Korea activated four forward air bases near the DMZ.
Given North Korea's experience with heavy U.S. bombardments in the Korean War,
its aim has been mainly to defend North Korean airspace. The heavy reliance on
fighter aircraft, Surface-to-air missile and Anti-aircraft warfare reflects
this. However, since nearly all of North Korea's aircraft inventory consists of
aging and obsolete Soviet and Chinese aircraft, the primary goal of the air
force may have changed in the last years to providing ground support for the
land forces and threatening South Korean population centers and military targets
with a massive air attack.
The number of annual flying hours (AFH) per pilot is, like almost every other
aspect of the KPAF, very hard to estimate. Most sources on the subject abstain
from giving hard numbers, but all of them estimate the average annual flying
hours per pilot as being 'low' to 'very low'. The number of annual flying hours
is of course very important in estimating the individual skill and experience of
the pilots of an air force: more annual flying hours suggests better trained
pilots. Most estimates present a rather grim picture: AFH per pilot for the KPAF
are said to be only 15 or 25[8] hours per pilot each year - comparable to the
flying hours of air forces in ex-Soviet countries in the early 1990s. In
comparison, most NATO fighter pilots fly at least 150 hours a year. Ground
training, both in classrooms, on instructional airframes or in a flight
simulator can only substitute for 'the real thing' to a certain degree, and the
low number of modern jet trainers in the KPAF arsenal points to a very modest
amount of flying time for the formation of new pilots.
There are a number of possible explanations for the low AFH: concern over the
aging of equipment, scarcity of spare parts - especially for the older aircraft
- difficulties with worn airframes, fear of defection and the scarcity of fuel
are all contributing factors. It is very likely however that some 'elite' pilots
and regiments receive considerably more flying hours. Especially those equipped
with modern aircraft and tasked with homeland defence - like the 57th regiment
flying MiG-29s and the 60th regiment flying MiG-23s - are receiving multiple
times the average AFH per pilot; however, aging equipment, the scarcity of fuel
and the general economic crisis in the DPRK will affect these regiments as well,
and keep their AFH low compared to NATO AFH.
Current inventory
Aircraft Origin Type Variant In service Notes
MiG-29 Soviet Union multirole 40
MiG-23 Soviet Union fighter-bomber 105
MiG-21 Soviet Union fighter 60
Su-7 Soviet Union fighter-bomber 18
Su-25 Russia attack 35
Ilu Il-28 Soviet Union medium bomber 80 Chinese-built variant designated
the H-5
Shenyang F-5 China fighter 106 derivative of the MiG-17
Shenyang J-6 China fighter F-6 97 licence built MiG-19
Chengdu J-7 China fighter F-7 120 licence built MiG-21
Antonov An-24 Ukraine heavy transport 1
MD 500 United States light utility 84 Aircraft were illegally obtained
by circumventing U.S. export controls.
PZL Mi-2 Poland utility 46
Mil Mi-8 Soviet Union utility 40
Mil Mi-14 Soviet Union ASW / SAR 8
Mil Mi-25 Russia attack 50
Mil Mi-26 Russia transport 4
Shenyang F-5 People's Republic of China jet trainer FT-5 135
Shenyang FT-2 China jet trainer 30 Chinese production of the
MiG-15UTI
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