Korean People's Army Air Force

The Korean People's Army Air Force (KPAAF or KPAF; Chosŏn'gŭl: 조선인민군 공군; Chosŏn inmin'gun konggun ; Hanja: 朝鮮人民軍 空軍) is the unified military aviation force of North Korea. It is the second largest branch of the Korean People's Army comprising an estimated 110,000 members. It possesses 940 aircraft of different types; mostly of old Soviet and Chinese origin. Its primary task is to defend North Korean airspace. When the People's Army was formed in into its current state with Soviet assistance, the aviation unit became its air force branch on August 20, 1947. North Korea has since celebrated August 20 as Air Force Foundation Day.

History
Kim Il-sung set up the Aviation Association branches in Pyongyang, Sinuiju, Chongjin and other parts of the country in 1945. In December 1945 he merged them into the Aviation Association of Korea. The air force became a separate service in 1948. The KPAF incorporates much of the original Soviet air tactics, as well as North Korean experience from the UN bombings during the Korean War.

The KPAF has on occasion deployed abroad. It deployed a fighter squadron to North Vietnam during the Vietnam war. Kim Il-Sung reportedly told the North Korean pilots "to fight in the war as if the Vietnamese sky were their own."

On April 15, 1969, MiG-21s of the KPAF shot down a Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star in international waters, in the Sea of Japan.

In 1973, a North Korean flight of MiG-21s deployed to Bir Arida to help defend southern Egypt during the Yom Kippur War.

In 1990-91, North Korea activated four forward air bases near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Capabilities
The KPAF operates a wide range of fighter and attack aircraft. North Korea is one of the few nations still operating the obsolete MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21 and MiG-23 fighters, yet it operates more modern and fairly capable MiG-29 fighters. The KPAF's most numerous fighter is the MiG-21, which is somewhat obsolete but still a worthy foe in air-to-air combat, if maintained properly and crewed by experienced pilots. An assessment by US analysts GlobalSecurity.org reported that the air force "has a marginal capability for defending North Korean airspace and a limited ability to conduct air operations against South Korea."

North Korea operates a wide variety of air defence equipment, from short-range MANPADS and ZPU-4 machine guns, to long-range SA-5 Gammon SAM systems and large-calibre AA artillery guns. North Korea has one of the densest air defence networks in the world. Ilyushin Il-28 Beagle bombers provide a medium-range attack platform, despite being generally obsolete. A large part of the ground attack aircraft are kept in heavily fortified hangars, some of which are capable of withstanding a nearby nuclear blast. Stealth capacity is known in the KPAF through researching in radar-absorbing paint and inventory deception.

Personnel
From 1978 to 1995, General Jo Myong-rok was the commander of the air force. In October 1995, he was promoted to vice-marshal and appointed Chief of the KPA General Political Bureau and a member of the Korean Workers' Party Central Military Committee. His place as commander of the Air Force was taken by Colonel General Oh Gum-chol.

Annual flying hours
The number of annual flying hours (AFH) per pilot is, like almost every other aspect of the KPAF, very hard to estimate. Most sources on the subject abstain from giving hard numbers, but all of them estimate the average annual flying hours per pilot as being 'low' to 'very low'. The number of annual flying hours is of course very important in estimating the individual skill and experience of the pilots of an air force: more annual flying hours suggests better trained pilots. Most estimates present a rather grim picture: AFH per pilot for the KPAF are said to be only 15 or 25 hours per pilot each year - comparable to the flying hours of air forces in ex-Soviet countries in the early 1990s. In comparison, most NATO fighter pilots fly at least 150 hours a year. Ground training, both in classrooms, on instructional airframes or in a flight simulator can only substitute for 'the real thing' to a certain degree, and the low number of modern jet trainers in the KPAF arsenal points to a very modest amount of flying time for the formation of new pilots.

There are a number of possible explanations for the low AFH: concern over the aging of equipment, scarcity of spare parts - especially for the older aircraft - difficulties with worn airframes, fear of defection and the scarcity of fuel are all contributing factors. It is very likely however that some 'elite' pilots and regiments receive considerably more flying hours. Especially those equipped with modern aircraft and tasked with homeland defence - like the 57th regiment flying MiG-29s and the 60th regiment flying MiG-23s - are receiving multiple times the average AFH per pilot; however, aging equipment, the scarcity of fuel and the general economic crisis in North Korea will affect these regiments as well, and keep their AFH low compared to NATO AFH.

Agence France-Presse reported on January 23, 2012 that the KPAF had conducted more flight training than average in 2011.

The Chosun Ilbo reported on March 29, 2012 that the KPAF had dramatically increased the number of flights to 650 per day.

Structure
Following is a list of bases where North Korean Army Air Force aircraft are permanently based.

Air bases

 * Northwestern area (1st Air Combat Division, HQ Kaechon)

Pyongyang is also the location of HQ, KPAAF
 * West Coast and Pyongyang area (1st Air Combat Division) - HQ: Kaechon
 * Uiju - 24th Air Regiment {Bomber} (H-5/Il-28, MiG-21PFM)
 * Kaechon      - 35th Air Regiment {Fighter} (J-6/MiG-19)
 * Onchon       - 36th Air Regiment {Fighter} (J-6/MiG-19)
 * Sunchon      - 55th Air Regiment {Attack} (Su-25K), 57th Air Regiment {Fighter} (MiG-29/UB)
 * Panghyon     - 49th Air Regiment {Fighter Bomber} (J-5/MiG-17F, MiG-21PFM, Mi-2)
 * Pukchang     - 58th Air Regiment {Fighter} (MiG-23ML/UM), 60th Air Regiment {Fighter Bomber} (MiG-21Bis)


 * West coast and Pyongyang area (5th Transport Division) - HQ: Taechon
 * Taechon      - ?? Air Regiment {Transport} (Y-5/An-2)
 * Kwaksan      - ?? Air Regiment {Transport} (Y-5/An-2)
 * Kangdong     - ?? Air Regiment {Bomber} (CJ-6/BT-6)
 * Sonchon      - ?? Air Regiment {Helicopter} (Mi-2)
 * Pukchang East - 65th Air Regiment {Helicopter} (Mi-8T, Mi-26), 64th Air Regiment {Helicopter} (MD-500)
 * Pyongyang Sunan Intl - Special Service Air Transport Wing (KPAAF-CAAK) (Air Koryo) (Tu-134B/Tu-154B-2/Il-62M/Il-76MD/Il-18/An-24/An-148)
 * Mirim Airfield - ?? VIP Unit (Mi-17) This base serves as a light transport base and closed sometime in the 1990s, now used as a KPA training facility.


 * DMZ area (3rd Air Combat Division) - HQ: Hwangju
 * Chunghwa - Headquarters, Air Defense and Combat Command
 * Taetan   -  4th Air Regiment {Fighter Bomber} (J-5/MiG-17F, MiG-21PFM, Mi-2)
 * Nuchon-ni - 32nd Air Regiment {Fighter Bomber} (J-5/MiG-17, MiG-21PFM, Mi-2)
 * Kwail    - 33rd Air Regiment {Fighter Bomber} (J-5/MiG-17F), 11th Air Regiment {Fighter Bomber} (J-5/MiG-17F)
 * Hwangju  - 50th Air Regiment {Fighter} (MiG-21PFM)
 * Koksan   - 86th Air Regiment {Attack} (Q-5A)
 * Ayang-ni - 63rd Air Regiment {Attack Helicopter} (Mi-24D)


 * East Coast area (2nd Air Combat Division) - HQ: Toksan
 * Toksan    - 56th Air Regiment {Fighter}(MiG-21PF/J-7/F-7)
 * Chanjin-Up - 25th Air Regiment {Bomber} (Il-28/H-5); ??th Air Regiment {Fighter} (MiG-21PFM)
 * Wonsan    - 46th Air Regiment {Fighter}(MiG-21PFM,F-5), 66th Air Regiment {Helicopter} (Mi-14PL)
 * Kuum Ni   - 71st Air Regiment {Fighter}(MiG-21PFM)
 * Hwangsuwon - 72nd Air Regiment {Fighter}(MiG-21PFM)


 * East Coast area (6th Transport Division) - HQ: Sondok
 * Sondok - ?? Air Regiment {Transport} (Y-5/An-2)
 * Yonpo - ?? Air Regiment {Transport} (Y-5/An-2)
 * Manpo - ?? Air Regiment {Transport} (Y-5/An-2)
 * Kuktong - ?? Air Regiment {Transport} (Y-5/An-2)
 * Kowon - Air Transport Wing (6 TD) (Z-5/Mi-4/Mi-8/Mi-17)
 * Pakhon - Air Transport Wing (6 TD) (Z-5/Mi-4/Mi-8/Mi-17/Mi-2)


 * Far Northeast area (8th Training Division) - HQ: Orang
 * Samiyon Airfield - ?? Training Regiment (F-5A)
 * Hyesan Airfield - unknown unit
 * Kilchu West + East - ?? Air Regiment {Helicopter Training} (Mi-2)
 * Orang - 41st Air Regiment {Fighter Training}(MiG-15UTI/J-2/MiG-15)
 * Sungam-Chonhjin - Kimchaek Air Force Academy (BT-6)
 * Kyongsong - Flight Officers School (BT-6)
 * Kang Da Ri Airfield - Underground runway near Wonsan, under construction.
 * Tongchŏn Airfield(MiG-21PF/J-7/F-7)
 * Inhung - Helipads (Mi-8/Ka-27 (possibly Ka-28/Ka-29/Ka-32)) (39.53194°N, 127.37472°W)
 * Hamhŭng Airfield(MiG-21PF/J-7/F-7)
 * Sungam Airfield - Air Transport Wing (Y-5/An-2)
 * Riwon north Airfield - (MiG-15UTI/J-2/MiG-15)

Ranks
The Korean People's Air Force has five categories of ranks; general officers, senior officers, junior officers, Non-commissioned Officers, and airmen.

Enlisted
The soldier and NCO ranks are aircraftman, leading aircraftman, senior aircraftman, corporal, junior sergeant, sergeant, flight sergeant and master aircrew.

Officers
Junior officer ranks are junior lieutenant, lieutenant, senior lieutenant and captain.

Senior officer ranks are major, lieutenant colonel, colonel and brigader.

General officer ranks are major general, lieutenant general, colonel general, and general of the air force.

Marshals
Marshal officer ranks are Vice-Marshal of the Air Force and Marshal of the Air Force.

Uniforms
Generally as a separate service in the KPA, the service wears the same KPA uniforms but with air force blue peaked caps (especially for officers) or kepi-styled caps for men and berets for women, worn with their full dress uniforms. Pilots wear helmets and flight suits when on parade and when in flight duty while air defense personnel wear the same duty dress uniforms as their ground forces counterparts but with air force blue borders on the caps.

Defections
Due to the political condition of North Korea, several North Korean pilots from the KPAF defected with their jets. These incidents include:
 * On September 21, 1953, 21-year-old No Kum-sok, a senior lieutenant, flew his MiG-15 across to the South and landed at Kimpo Air Base near Seoul. Considered an intelligence bonanza, since this fighter plane was then the best the Communist bloc had. No was awarded the sum of $100,000 ($733,813 in 2006 dollars) and the right to reside in the United States. He is now a U.S. citizen.
 * On August 5, 1960, a Shenyang J-5 landed at Kimpo, the second time a J-5 appeared in South Korea. This aircraft was kept by South Korea and was briefly flown in South Korean markings before being scrapped.
 * In February 1983, Lee Ung-Pyong used a training exercise to defect and landed his Shenyang J-6 at an airfield in Seoul. According to the then common practice, he received a commission in the South Korean Air Force eventually becoming a colonel and taught at the South Korean academy until his death in 2002. He received a reward of 1.2 billion South Korean won.
 * On May 23, 1996, Captain Lee Chul-Su defected with another Shenyang J-6, number 529, to Suwon Air Base, South Korea. He reportedly left behind his wife and two children. Lee was rewarded 480 million South Korean Won (approx. 400 thousand US dollars). He is now a colonel in the ROKAF and is an academic instructor.