The South Korean Air Force (ROKAF) lost one of its KF-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets in an accident on Sunday (20). The pilot successfully ejected. 

According to the air force, the aircraft belonged to the 19th Fighter Wing and was on a scheduled training mission when it suffered an engine failure. The pilot, the only crew member, ejected in a mountainous region, 20 km west of Wonju Air Base, about 85 km from the capital Seoul.

Also according to the organization, the pilot was rescued and taken in good health conditions to the Air Force Aerospace Medical Center. The causes of the accident are already being investigated. At the same time, the ROKAF grounded its fleet of KF-16 fighters, leaving only the jets assigned to air defense missions in operation. 

This is the fourth military aircraft accident in South Korea in 2022: in January a fighter pilot died when your F-5 crashed after suffering engine problems; three months later, four airmen died in a air collision involving two KT-1 trainer planes; in August the ROKAF lost an F-4E Phantom II, one of its oldest models still in operation. 

South Korean F-16 

The KF-16 forms the backbone of the South Korean Air Force, which has around 167 aircraft. The fighters are being upgraded to the Block 70 standard under a $1,2 billion contract signed in 2016 with Lockheed Martin, the plane's manufacturer.

The model was developed in the 1990s as a version of the F-16C/D adapted to the needs of the country and manufactured locally by Samsung Aerospace, later absorbed by KAI (Korea Aerospace Industries). 

In addition to the F-16s, the ROKAF has F-35 Lightning II, F-15K Slam Eagle, F-5E Tiger II and F-4E Phantom II fighters; the country is investing billions in development of the KAI KF-21 Boramae, which should replace the last two models from 2026. 

With information Yonhap.