The South Korean Air Force has grounded its fleet of F-5 fighter aircraft, following a fatal accident that killed three pilots.

The F-5 aircraft will remain grounded for safety checks, until the cause of the accident is confirmed, according to The Korea Times.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

According to an air force spokesman, the air force has deployed an investigation team to find the cause of the accident, which may be due to the pilots losing their bearings or the two jets colliding with each other.

The air force is planning to introduce 60 F/A-50 light attack aircraft, a modified variant of the T-50 supersonic trainer jet, to replace its aging F-4/5 jets.

The air force currently operates about 250 F-4/5 aircraft, most of which will retire between 2105 and 2018.

The two aircraft, a single-seat F-5E and twin-seat F-5F, crashed into a mountain near Gangneung, Gangwon Province, during a training mission.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

A light supersonic fighter aircraft, the F-5 was developed by Northrop in the 1960s.

Airforce Technology Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Airforce Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.


Excellence in Action
Discover how Virtualitics is transforming mission readiness with explainable AI, predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision intelligence across the U.S. Department of Defense through its AI-powered Integrated Readiness Optimization suite, for which it has won the Innovation and Business Expansion awards.

Discover the Impact