South Korean F-15K scrambled in response to North Korea’s Northern Limit Line violation

Published on: September 24, 2012 at 12:30 PM

According to the Arirang News website, a South Korean F-15K fighter jet “equipped with air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles” was launched on Friday, Sept. 21, after six North Korean fishing vessels crossed the Northern Limit Line in the the Yellow Sea.

The North Korean boats were spotted by South Korean patrol ships that fired warning shots to force them back while the F-15K on standby alert was launched to provide air support.

Although North Korean vessels have crossed the border five times this month, it was the first time in two years that Seoul has used military power to repel North Korean fishing boats near the maritime border in the Yellow Sea, that alongside the airspace near the DMZ, has been  the scene of several naval skirmishes between the two Koreas.

In March, 2010, a South Korean warship in the area was torpedoed, with the death of 46 sailors.

The Republic of Korea Air Force F-15Ks were scrambled in June when North Korean Migs flew close to the South Korea’s airspace. They took part to the Red Flag 12-2 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, in February 2012.

Image credit: Tony Lovelock

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David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.
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