[Infostock Daily=Reporter Park Jeong-do] Korean Air announced on the 26th that it has won a project from the U.S. Department of Defense to extend the flight time and maintain the "F-16" fighter jet deployed to the U.S. Forces Korea and the U.S. Forces in Japan. The total business size is 290 billion won, and the contract period is until September 2030.
The Korean Air's life extension project is a high-level work that consists of verification of the reliability of the main parts of the aircraft and wings of the F-16 fighter aircraft, decomposition, inspection and protection to extend the life of the aircraft, and replacement of main structures. It is evaluated as the highest level of aircraft maintenance. This work will enable aircraft to fly an additional flight of about 4,000 hours.
The F-16 fighter jet combines compact and smart gas with a powerful turbo fan engine, which has excellent close air combat capability. Since its development in 1972, it has been the main model of the U.S. Air Force in the Asia-Pacific region. It is evaluated that Korean Air's order for the F-16 fighter jet life extension project was possible due to Korean Air's accumulated ability to maintain its operations and provide specialized military support. Korean Air has carried out the U.S. military maintenance project since 1978 and has succeeded in improving the maintenance and performance of helicopters such as the F-15, F-16, C-10, A-10, UH-60, CH-46, and CH-53, starting with the F-4 U.S. Air Force F-14.
Reporter Park Jeong-do newface0301@naver.com
