The Air Force said on the 11th that a KF-16 fighter jet of the Korean Air Force, which was training in Alaska, crashed and was damaged during the training. It is reported that all the pilots of the aircraft successfully ejected and survived.
The Air Force reported via a text message that “a KF-16 fighter jet participated in the Red Flag Alaska training, and an emergency ejection situation occurred around 9:02 a.m. (Korean time) while taking off from the U.S. Air Force Eielson Air Force Base.”
The KF-16 is a twin-seat fighter, designed to accommodate two pilots. The pilots who ejected are reported to be safe and have been transported to a nearby hospital.
An Air Force official said, “We will closely cooperate with the U.S. side to confirm the exact circumstances of the accident.”
Red Flag Alaska is a multinational coalition air combat training exercise organized by the U.S. Pacific Air Forces. This year's exercise involved 11 aircraft, including the Korean Air Force's KF-16 fighter jets and KC-330 multi-role aerial refueling transport aircraft, along with over 100 personnel.
The KF-16 is a variant of the F-16 fighter jet produced under license in Korea by Lockheed Martin. Since the first crash in 1997, this marks the 10th crash.