South Korean Air Force’s F-15K conducted a friendship flight with the Philippine Air Force’s FA-50PH over the Darwin base in Australia.
The Air Force announced that “since the 12th, we have dispatched six F-15K aircraft and over 100 personnel to Australia to participate in the Pitch Black exercise.”
In 2014, the Philippines purchased 12 FA-50PH aircraft domestically produced in South Korea and has been operating them since 2015. The FA-50PH was highly praised as a game changer during the Battle of Marawi in 2017, and four units participated in this exercise.
The Air Force explained that this year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and the Philippines. They added that the significance is heightened because the Philippine FA-50PH, participating in overseas joint training for the first time, met with the Korean Air Force’s F-15K in the international multinational air exercise Pitch Black to conduct a friendship flight.
On Tuesday, Lieutenant General Stephen Parreño, the Philippine Air Force Commanding General, visited the Korean Air Force training facility at Darwin Base. He stated that the FA-50PH is a core asset of the Philippine Air Force. Through this joint training, he expects to showcase the Philippine Air Force’s capabilities to the outside world and enhance interoperability with allied countries.
General Parreño also emphasized the importance of strengthening the relationship with the Korean Air Force for regional security and mutual growth. He expressed his desire for more training and exchanges based on the strong partnership between the two countries.
The South Korean Air Force’s operational personnel participating in this Pitch Black exercise began their first local adaptation flight on the 15th. They have conducted joint air training with participating countries such as Italy, India, and Thailand.
In the main training, which started on July 22, the Air Force is mastering joint operational procedures and assessing operational sustainability while performing key air operation missions such as Defensive Counter Air and Air Interdiction both day and night alongside multinational allied air forces.
As part of the joint air interdiction training, a live bombing exercise was conducted, dropping four GBU-31 (JDAM) air-to-ground bombs and checking the operational capability of live munitions abroad.
The Air Force plans to enhance understanding among different aircraft types from participating countries and develop joint operational capabilities until the exercise concludes on August 2.
The six F-15K aircraft are scheduled to return to Daegu on August 3. Six F-15Ks will receive aerial refueling from the KC-330 multi-role tanker transport and return to the Daegu base, and the main unit will return on August 4.
