F-35A Student Pilot Saves his Jet During In-Flight Computer Failure

Republic of Korea Air Force F-35A Stealth Fighters grounded 172 times over 18 months, unable to carry out certain missions 62 times, Lawmaker says

By Dario Leone
Oct 6 2022
Share this article

Republic of Korea Air Force F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters were rated as operationally unready on 234 occasions over an 18-month period ending in June due to malfunctions.

Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters were rated as operationally unready on 234 occasions over an 18-month period ending in June due to malfunctions, a lawmaker said on Oct. 4, 2022, Yonhap News Agency reports.

During the period the strike fighters were grounded on 172 instances while there were 62 cases in which the jets could fly but were unable to carry out certain missions, Rep. Shin Won-sik of the ruling People Power Party said citing ROKAF data.

Shin stressed that the ROKAF should make strenuous efforts not only to introduce such high-end weapons systems but also to maintain them.

Grounded fifth-generation fighters could carry out missions for only 12 days on average last year and 11 days in the first half of this year.

In comparison, the F-4E and the F-5 older generation fighters were grounded 26 and 28 times, respectively, over the 18-month period.

The ROKAF said there were no problems in maintaining the readiness posture as the F-35As met their target operation rate of 75 percent, but it acknowledged issues in acquiring parts for defects identified in the newly introduced model, adding it will work to swiftly receive them from the manufacturer.

The ROKAF received the last of 40 F-35As in January under the country’s first project to procure the stealth fighter manufactured by Lockheed Martin.

The Republic of Korea concluded its F-X III fighter acquisition program with the signing of a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) between the US and Korean governments on Sep. 30, 2014, for 40 F-35A Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) variant jets with initial deliveries beginning in 2018.

The first F-35A for the ROKAF, known as aircraft AW-1, made its public debut in late March 2018 and pilot training began at Luke AFB, Ariz. in spring 2018. Aircraft were delivered to the 17th Fighter Wing at Chongju Air Base in 2019 to meet South Korea’s national security requirements.

The Republic of Korea faces a unique and complex threat environment. No other fighter aircraft in the world is better equipped to ensure the ROKAF can maintain regional security stability than the 5th Generation F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter.

Photo credit: U.S. Air Force

F-35A print
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. F-35A Lightning II 56th OG, 61st FS, LF/12-5050 / 2014

Share this article

Dario Leone

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Share this article


Share this article
Share this article

Always up to date! News and offers delivered directly to you!

Get the best aviation news, stories and features from The Aviation Geek Club in our newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.



    Share this article
    Back to top
    My Agile Privacy
    This website uses technical and profiling cookies. Clicking on "Accept" authorises all profiling cookies. Clicking on "Refuse" or the X will refuse all profiling cookies. By clicking on "Customise" you can select which profiling cookies to activate. We and our selected ad partners can store and/or access information on your device, such as cookies, unique identifiers, browsing data. You can always choose the specific purposes related to profiling by accessing the advertising preferences panel, and you can always withdraw your consent at any time by clicking on "Manage consent" at the bottom of the page.

    List of some possible advertising permissions:

    You can consult: our list of advertising partners, the Cookie Policy and the Privacy Policy.
    Warning: some page functionalities could not work due to your privacy choices