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Inside South Korea’s Elite Top Gun School for Fighter Pilot

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A pilot of an F-15K fighter jet belonging to South Korea\'s 29th Tactical Development Training Squadron exchanges hand signals with a maintenance crew member after completing a pre-flight inspection at Cheongju Air Base last Wednesday.
A pilot of an F-15K fighter jet belonging to South Korea’s 29th Tactical Development Training Squadron exchanges hand signals with a maintenance crew member after completing a pre-flight inspection at Cheongju Air Base last Wednesday.

Despite the biting cold of early winter, the South Korean military maintains an unwavering focus on training to ensure peak combat readiness.

The South Korean Air Force announced last Thursday, “The 29th Tactical Development Training Squadron (29th Squadron), known as the ‘Top Gun School’ of the ROK Air Force, is fully committed to pilot training and the research and development of tactical techniques.” They emphasized that “through these efforts, the squadron is at the forefront of enhancing aerial combat capabilities, playing a pivotal role in national airspace defense.”

The 29th Squadron is tasked with researching and developing tactical techniques for the Air Force and educating pilots to equip them with practical combat skills. Fighter pilots enhance their combat capabilities at the 29th Squadron by mastering tactical techniques such as aerial combat maneuvers and air interception combat tactics. They then take on air defense missions at frontline combat flight units. This is why the 29th Squadron is often called the “Air Force’s Top Gun School.”

The 29th Squadron conducts sortie missions daily to nurture the most elite fighter pilots. Since all of the Air Force’s tactical techniques are developed and tested here, the squadron operates a variety of fighter jets, including the mainstay F-15K and the F-16, FA-50, and F-5.

In addition, the 29th Squadron runs a virtual aggressor squadron to provide realistic tactical training for combat units. It also spearheads large-scale tactical exercises such as Soaring Eagle, further solidifying its central role in national airspace defense.

Looking ahead, the 29th Squadron plans to establish a simulated flight training system based on artificial intelligence (AI) to keep pace with changes in future battlefield environments.

BEMIL
CP-2023-0359@fastviewkorea.com

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