The 36th Fighter Squadron will be part of a year-long test to optimize combat capability and training effectiveness with a larger number of F-16 aircraft assigned to the “Super Squadron”.
The U.S. Seventh Air Force, which oversees air operations in Korea and in the Northwest Pacific, is relocating some of its F-16s based in the Korean Peninsula for a test intended to optimize combat capability and increase readiness in support of the ROK-U.S. Alliance and the larger Indo-Pacific region. Osan Air Base, which is also home of the Seventh Air Force’s headquarters, was selected for the test.
The 36th Fighter Squadron will gain nine F-16s, bringing the total of its assigned aircraft from 22 to 31, and creating a “Super Squadron” which will participate in a year-long test to evaluate its impact on sortie generation, maintenance, manpower, and logistic requirements, with the ultimate goal of maximizing combat effectiveness. The F-16s were drafted from the 35th and 80th Fighter Squadrons at Kunsan Air Base.
The Vipers (as the F-16s are nicknamed by their crews) are being transferred with 150 aircrew and combat support personnel accompanying. The press release mentions the remaining F-16s at Kunsan will continue to participate in routine, regularly scheduled training events.
“This test is an opportunity for us to see if squadrons of this size increase our training effectiveness while also increasing our combat capability if deterrence fails,” said Lt. Gen. David. R. Iverson, Seventh AF commander and U.S. Forces Korea deputy commander. “While we execute this test, we understand these changes may present some challenges for our Airmen and Families. We are working to mitigate those impacts while also increasing our readiness and war fighting capability.”
The new U.S. Air Force fighter posture
The “Super Squadron” test is just the latest move of the U.S. Air Force in the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) area of responsibility. The command released last year its strategy for 2030, saying it must posture to rapidly respond to a wide range of crises and is currently setting the theater by expanding access, basing, and overflight across the Indo-Pacific, focusing on the ability to execute Agile Combat Employment (ACE) operations in strategic locations.
PACAF further highlighted that the current basing posture, optimized seventy years ago, adversely affects the ability to rapidly respond to natural disasters and man-made crises today. No mentions were made about the squadrons’ size, although the test might indicate an interest in increasing the size from the current 18-24 aircraft usually assigned to fighter squadrons, increasing at the same time the fire volume they could generate.
Some squadrons are already being enlarged, but the numbers are still below the 31 of the “Super Squadron” test. For an instance, Misawa Air Base, home of the USAF’s 35th Fighter Wing’s 13th and 14th Fighter Squadrons, is planned to replace its 36 F-16C/Ds with 48 F-35As and continue to fly their SEAD mission with the 5th gen fighter.
On the other hand, some squadrons are being unexpectedly reduced in size. In fact, Kadena Air Base, home of the 18th Wing’s 44th and 67th Fighter Squadrons, is set to replace its 48 F-15C/D Eagles with 36 F-15EX Eagle II jets.
The Department of Defense did not make any mention of the F-16s based at Kunsan and the F-16s and A-10s based at Osan. It should be noted, however, that it is unknown how long A-10s will be operating from Osan, as the Air Force is gradually retiring the fleet and the latest maintenance contracts with South Korean companies are reportedly valid until 2029.
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Upgraded Vipers in Korea
The 8th FW at Kunsan Air Base received last year its first upgraded F-16, as the aircraft is expected to fly well into the 2040s.A total of 608 Block 40 and Block 50 aircraft, the so-called “Post Block” F-16s, will be upgraded through the Post Block Integration Team (PoBIT) project managed by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Fighters and Advanced Aircraft Directorate.
The project includes up to 22 modifications designed to improve lethality and ensure the fourth-generation fighter remains effective in meeting current and future threats. Launched in 2022, the PoBIT upgrades are being performed in conjunction with the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) which will extend the airframes’ fatigue life from 8,000 to 12,000 hours.
The SLEP will replace structural bulkheads and longerons, modify wing and wing-box assemblies, install new structural brackets and beam supports and reskin the upper fuselage. The depot work for the entire process takes up to nine months for each Viper and is being performed at multiple locations both in the United States and in Europe.
The main feature of the PoBIT upgrade is the installation of the APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) with Active Electronically Scanned Array and the Center Display Unit (CDU), technology that ultimately gives the F-16 and its pilot a clearer vision of the threat picture to increase both the survivability and accuracy of the weapon system. The updated F-16 radar systems allow pilots to use Synthetic Aperture Radar mapping to detect and deploy weapons against air-to-air and air-to-ground threats at much longer ranges.
The CDU replaces the instruments located on the center pedestal with a 6 by 8 inches multi-function high resolution color display and allows not only to take full advantage of the new radar and upgraded targeting pods, but also to reduce the pilot’s workload and increase safety and efficiency. As part of PoBIT, the Northrop Grumman AN/ALQ-257 Integrated Viper Electronic Warfare Suite is replacing the legacy electronic warfare systems, providing a next generation EW system that is internal to the F-16 and fully interoperable with the new on-board APG-83 radar.
Other upgrades include Link 16, modernizing the cockpit and main mission computer, and converting the fleet to a high-speed data network, as well as next-generation electronic warfare capability, a Communication Suite Upgrade, a Programmable Data Generator and several other key hardware components. PoBIT upgrades for the F-16 fleet are being conducted in various phases to provide the aircraft the necessary updates while ensuring operational requirements can still be met.
