Korean Airforce aquires it`s first F-15K Strike Eagles(6OCT05)

-2 F-15K leaves CONUS at 2OCT at arrives at Seoul Airport at7OCT.
– F-15Ks stops by Hawaii and Guam accompanied by USAF KC-135 Tankers.
– Escorted by ROKAF F-4D, KF-16 after entering ROK Airspace.

KF-16 : “Zest 88, Condole Oscar 1 Radio check”
F-15K Num3 : “Condole Oscar 1, Zest 88, Loud and Clear, Go ahead.”
KF-16 : “Also Loud and Clear. Zest Flight, Welcome to Korea. How are you feeling?”
F-15K Num3 : “(English) … “
KF-16 : Maj.Lee, thank you for managing the long flight back home. How do you feel, sir?
F-15K Num3 : “The beautiful landscape which I see below me on the F-15K makes me feel proud. With the best fighters we`ve just aquired, I have no doubt that the skies of our country will be free of harm. “
– COMMS between F-15Ks and its` KF-16 escorts.

Two of the forty Boeing F-15K Strike Eagles arrived at Korea in the afternoon at 7OCT05.

The F-15Ks departed from USAF St. Louis AFB at 2OCT and stopped by Hawaii and Guam.The USAF KC-10 Tankers supported the whole flight by providing re-fuel ops during the long trip to Korea.

The two Strike Eagles took off from Guam at 7OCT before noon and crossed Jeju Island air space and landed at Seoul AFB the same day.The Eagles successfully made the 15,962Km trip from St. Louis AFB to Korea.

.
Total flight time exceeded more then 20 hours due to cruising at a effective speed of 900~1000km/h to conserve fuel.

The flight was escorted by a Korean Airforce F-4D, and KF-16s after entering southern ROK airspace until it successfully landed at seoul concluding the long trip back home.
The escort flight lead was the F-4D,and will be released from it`s 40 year service and be replaced by the new Strike Eagles.

The F-15ks were piloted by Boeing pilots and the back seats were manned by Maj Lee,ROKAF and a Boeing RIO. Maj Lee is the senior officer of the 8 RAF pilots who took part in the 15 month F-15K transition course at USAF S. Johnson AFB.

“We were able to confirm the F-15Ks awesome long range flight capabilites directly by ourselves. We are very proud to take part in the historical moment in the turn-over of the very best fighters in the world which will contribute directly to the role of guarding the skies of our country.”

The following F-15Ks are the 3rd,4th Eagles out of the 40 F-15Ks that are supposed to be turned over to the ROKAF. The F-15Ks will undergo final checks and wiil be officially turned over to the ROKAF. The Eagles will be opened to public from 18OCT to 23OCT during the Seoul Air show2005.One fighter will be exhibited outside and one fighter is planned for it`s first ceremony flight.

The remaining 38 F-15Ks will be turned over until 2008.The 1st and 2nd Eagles are currently undergoing it`s last trial runs involving Air-to-Ground attack capabilites certification precedures and will be turned in early next year.