Inside South Korea’s Jinhae Air Base Historic Home of the Recently Retired F4 Phantom Fleet
Inside South Korea's Jinhae Air Base Historic Home of the Recently Retired F4 Phantom Fleet - South Korea's Last F4 Phantom Flight A Historic June 2024 Farewell
The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) bid a final adieu to the F4 Phantom on June 7th, 2024, concluding a remarkable 55-year run. This momentous event, which took place at the 10th Fighter Wing in Suwon, was a fitting tribute to a long and storied history. Four F4E Phantoms were the stars of a three-hour farewell flight that traced the aircraft's key contributions to South Korea's airspace. The symbolic flight not only commemorated the past but also illustrated the country's transition into a new era of advanced air power, with modern KF21 Boramae fighters and an F15K chase plane accompanying the Phantoms.
It's interesting that South Korea, the last country in the Asia-Pacific region to operate the F4, took such pains to mark its retirement. The ROKAF, showing its appreciation for the Phantom's role, even added new camouflage and inscriptions to the aircraft for this final flight. The F4's legacy in South Korea stretches back to 1977, when the initial batch of advanced F4E models arrived, setting the stage for the impressive service record the aircraft enjoyed. Along with the F4's retirement, it's worth noting the simultaneous farewell to the AGM-142 Popeye missiles, which were often associated with this platform. The ceremony itself was presided over by the Minister of National Defense, underscoring the importance of this occasion for the entire country's security apparatus. It remains to be seen if future generations of Korean pilots will feel the same connection to the KF21 that previous ones had with the Phantom, but it is clear that a chapter in South Korean aviation history has closed.
The final F-4 Phantom flight in June 2024 represented the culmination of a long and storied history for the ROKAF. The retirement of the last operational Phantoms in Asia-Pacific marked a symbolic end, after Japan phased them out in 2020. The ceremony, hosted at Suwon's 10th Fighter Wing, saw a nostalgic three-hour flight that retraced iconic moments in the F-4's service. It's intriguing how the F-4E's farewell flight included a mix of older and newer generation jets, with the F-15Ks and KF-21s underlining the change in ROKAF's operational focus. The event also highlighted the changing nature of aerial warfare with the simultaneous retirement of the AGM-142 Popeye missile. It's understandable that the ROKAF has chosen to mark this transition with retro-fitted camouflage and inscriptions – a poignant reminder of the F-4s significant role.
The decision to retire the entire fleet is likely based on the need for modernizing the South Korean air force, including the need for more advanced features in today's evolving threats. The Phantom originally arrived in 1977 as advanced F-4Es, and while upgraded, could likely not compete with the stealth technologies of the F-35.
The South Korean military's acquisition of 92 F-4Ds across the decades reflects the importance the F-4 played in the Korean peninsula's security landscape, especially during the Cold War. However, with the remaining F-4Ds phased out by 2010 and now the final F-4Es retired, we are left to wonder what this move means for future Korean air operations in the region. One can only guess at how this evolution in technology will impact ROKAF’s future doctrine and overall strategy. The F-4’s retirement was a visible reminder that technological innovation has fundamentally altered the methods and strategies of aerial warfare.