KPAF - Operational Effectiveness
North Korea cannot dismiss the possibility of an air offensive being launched against it. Such an operation could be conducted with minimum losses because the Korean People’s Army Air Force, though seemingly strong in terms of numbers, has obsolete aircraft, and cannot hold its own even against South Korea, not to mention the United States. Only a small number of MiG-29 (9–13) and Su-25 strike fighters delivered during the final years of the USSR are of any real combat value.
North Korea has approximately seventy air bases, including jet and non-jet capable bases and emergency landing strips, with aircraft deployed to between twenty and thirty of them. The majority of tactical aircraft are concentrated at air bases around P'yongyang and in the southern provinces. P'yongyang can place almost all its military aircraft in hardened--mostly underground--shelters. North Korean aircraft are sheltered in underground hangars and plenty of runways are available. In the DPRK there is absolutely no private vehicle ownership but many highways with concrete surfaces and arched reinforced concrete tunnels (for example the superhighway linking Pyongyang with Wonsan), that in case of hostilities are sure to be used as military airfields. It thus seems highly improbable that the NKAF would be knocked out in one strike.
North Korea deployed about fifty percent of its fighters in the front area which makes a possible surprise attack to all areas of South Korea. In 1990-91, North Korea activated four forward air bases near the DMZ, which increased its initial southward reach and decreased warning and reaction times for Seoul.
More than 420 fighters, bombers, transport planes, and helicopters were redeployed in October 1995, and more than 100 aircraft were moved forward to the three air bases near the DMZ. More than 20 Il-28 bombers were moved to Taetan which shortened their arrival time to Seoul from 30 minutes to 10 minutes. Over 80 MiG-17s redeployed to Nuchonri and Kuupri are able to attack Seoul in 6 minutes. By these redeployments North Korea intends to make a first strike with outdated MiG-17s and the second strike with mainstay fighters such as MiG-21s and Su-25s.
The air force has a marginal capability for defending North Korean airspace and a limited ability to conduct air operations against South Korea. Its strengths are its large numbers of aircraft, a system of well-dispersed and well-protected air facilities, and an effective, if rudimentary, command and control system. Its weaknesses include limited flight training; forced reliance on outside sources for aircraft, most of its missiles, radars, and associated equipment; and maintenance problems associated with older aircraft. The effectiveness of ground training--on which the pilots heavily depend--is difficult to judge because there is no information on P'yongyang's acquisition or use of sophisticated flight simulators.
Pilot proficiency is difficult to evaluate because it is crudely proportionate to hours and quality of flight time. Although the Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense's Defense White Paper, 1990 states that flight training levels are 60 percent of South Korea's, other sources believe the figure is closer to 20 to 30 percent. Lower flight times are attributed to fuel shortages, a more conservative training philosophy, and perhaps a concern for older airframe life expectancies or maintenance infrastructure capacity. The training of pilots on the NKAF's most modern aircraft is much more significant than "seven flying hours per year" sometimes claimed in the West. But air crew are being trained in accordance with outdated procedures and, with lack of fuel, have very little experience. Wonsan International Friendship Air Festival, North Korea’s first ever international air show that demonstrated the country’s air fleet, was slightly marred, when the Korean People’s Army Air Force’s Mig-21 demonstrating maneuvers experienced a hard tail landing in front of a huge crowd of spectators. The incident, which was taken on camera, occurred on the second day of the display that lasted 24-25 September 2016 in Kalma International Airport in Wonsan in the east of the country. The clumsy landing was observed by a huge audience, including foreign aviation enthusiasts, who were invited to the country for the first time ever. The airshow consisted of civil and military aircraft performing. Aircraft on display included commercial planes of North Korea’s only airline Air Koryo, including Russian-built IL-18, IL-62M the massive IL-76TD, and military jets such as Mig-29, Mig 21, and Su-25 as well as Mil-17.
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