2024-04-06 17:31:11
FA-50·F-5E/F, concerns about being unilaterally hunted by improved MIG-29
A truly shocking scene was captured in a satellite photo taken of North Korea’s Pyongyang International Airport in November last year. Three IL-76MD cargo planes owned by North Korea were filmed being remodeled. A stand for installing a large radar was installed on the cargo plane’s fuselage, and the Middlebury Institute for International Studies (MIIS), which first identified this, analyzed that “work is being done to convert it into an early warning and control device.” This means that the North Korean Air Force, a symbol of the world’s underdeveloped air force, is building an early warning and control aircraft like the South Korean E-737.
It is the law of the world for a bird flying high to see far away. Radars installed on the ground, no matter how high the mountain peak is, inevitably have large blind spots due to the terrain or the Earth’s curvature effect. However, the story is different when a large radar is loaded onto an aircraft and flies at a high altitude. Because aerial radar emits a beam in the form of looking down from the sky, it can easily detect cruise missiles or unmanned aerial vehicles approaching hidden in valleys or between forests of high-rise buildings. Because it is less affected by the Earth’s curvature effect, it is easier to detect and track distant objects than when deployed on the ground, even when using a radar of the same output.
A state-of-the-art early warning and control device that not everyone can use
Early warning aircraft can certainly be very powerful in modern air warfare, but they are not weapons that just anyone can use. This is because being able to see an opponent from afar with a radar floating in the sky does not in itself provide combat power to subdue or suppress the enemy. For early warning aircraft to function properly, fighter jets or surface-to-air missiles are needed to share detected information in real time through a data link. In that respect, a question arises. This is because North Korea, which produces early warning aircraft, does not have modernized fighter jets or air defense weapons.
On the surface, North Korea has more fighter jets than the South Korean Air Force, but except for some models, they are scrap metal that is difficult to carry out combat missions. The MIG-15, which was used during the Korean War, is still on the front line, and if you include the MIG-17, which is technically not much different from the MIG-15, about 160 North Korean Air Force fighter jets are relics from the 1950s. The 100 MIG-19 series, which are still treated as main fighter jets in North Korea, are now a ‘selection model’ that is not used even in underdeveloped African countries. In terms of quantity, the main MIG-21 series, about 150 to 200 units, is an old model of the same generation as the F-5E/F, which is being retired from the Korean Air Force. It is a fighter plane that is incapable of modern air combat.
The number of North Korean fighter jets equipped with radar and capable of aerial combat beyond visual range is about 90, including about 50 MIG-23s and 40 MIG-29s. They are all deployed in the area between Pyongyang and Hwanghae Province and are in charge of air defense of the capital. It is the elite North Korean air force that is deployed first when tensions rise along the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea. However, the prevailing assessment is that the MIG-23 produced in the 1970s was a ‘failure’ that was one-sidedly beaten in actual combat with Western fighter jets. The MIG-29 is also an older aircraft, manufactured in the late 1980s and introduced more than 30 years ago. Of course, early warning and data links are impossible, and it is an obsolete weapon without the ability to operate modern air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.
North Korea, well aware of this situation, recently joined hands with Russia to improve the performance of its fighter jets. The National Intelligence Service reported to the National Assembly Intelligence Committee last fall that “North Korea is preparing to introduce new aircraft from Russia and is also selecting personnel to receive aircraft piloting and maintenance training.” On March 22, the Dong-A Ilbo exclusively reported that “Russia is supporting North Korea’s MIG-29 fighter performance improvement project, and Russian engineers are entering North Korea for this purpose.” Considering various circumstances, it appears that North Korea is simultaneously pursuing a project to introduce new fighter jets and improve the performance of existing fighter jets.
North Korea simultaneously introduces new models and improves old ones
The MIG-29 that North Korea is improving is the very early model MIG-29A Fulcrum-C introduced in 1989 and the two-seat training model MIG-29UB. At the time, North Korea ordered 51 MIG-29 series aircraft to be deployed to the 55th Aviation Regiment and 57th Aviation Regiment, which are responsible for the defense of Pyongyang. Of these, about 20 were directly imported, and the remaining quantity was produced under license at the Banghyeon Aircraft Factory in Gusung-gun, North Pyongan Province. It is estimated that North Korea secured about 40 MIG-29s before parts supply was cut off after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Korean military authorities believe that half of these aircraft are used for ‘same type conversion’ to supply parts and that less than 20 aircraft are actually operational.
North Korea cherishes its newest and most powerful fighter jet, the MIG-29, and presents it as the face of all kinds of events. However, considering its performance, this fighter has not been recognized as a significant threat to the Korean Air Force since the mid-1990s. Although it has excellent aerial mobility, its radar performance is poor and its mounted armament is outdated. Even in its country of origin, Russia, the MIG-29 is being pushed out by the ‘Sukhoi’ series fighter jets. Compared to the Su-27/30 series, its weight class and performance are significantly lower, but the problem is that its maintenance costs are high. For this reason, the Russian Air Force has only operationally deployed about 70 of the 250 MIG-29s it currently possesses. Unlike the Sukhoi series of fighter jets, which are being introduced at a rate of 20 to 30 each year, the MIG-29 series is being introduced only in minimum quantities to maintain the production line as a policy consideration. The MIG-29, which is treated as a precious commodity in North Korea, is treated as a bastard in Russia.
From Russia’s perspective, it can show off by handing over ready-to-use MIG-29 parts and equipment to North Korea without incurring additional costs. The performance improvement of the North Korean MIG-29 promoted by Russia is presumed to be a project to modernize the aircraft using surplus inventory parts and some new parts. In fact, it is possible for an older platform to perform as well as the latest fighter jets by simply replacing the parts. For example, European countries have improved the early model F-16 introduced in the 1970s and are operating weapons such as the new AMRAAM air-to-air missile and direct aerial attack missile (JDAM). Brazil even surpassed the newer French Mirage 2000 by upgrading the outdated F-5 with the latest specifications linked to early warning aircraft. North Korea’s MIG-29 can also exhibit performance equivalent to the latest improved MIG-35 currently sold by replacing parts such as radar, avionics, and engine.
Improvement of radar and mission computer is key.
![North Korean Air Koryo IL-76MD cargo plane. Last year, circumstances were discovered that North Korea was upgrading three cargo planes into early warning and control aircraft. [위키피디아]](https://dimg.donga.com/wps/NEWS/IMAGE/2024/04/06/124349355.2.jpg)
The components that are expected to be improved first are the radar and mission computer. In the case of the radar, it seems likely to be replaced with the ‘Zhuk-AE’ active electronically scanned phased array (AESA) radar, which has a similar volume and weight to the existing old N019 mechanical radar. This radar can simultaneously track 30 fighter-sized targets at a distance of 120 km, and can fire air-to-air missiles at eight of them. To operate this in North Korea’s MIG-29, the mission computer and cockpit must be completely replaced, and the engine and generator must also be replaced with new models to provide sufficient power. It is highly likely that the currently produced RD-93 series will be supplied as the engine, and communication equipment and data link systems are expected to be added through mission computer replacement work.
If these improvements are made, North Korea’s MIG-29 will be able to engage in air combat on an almost equal footing with South Korean Air Force fighters. When an early warning aircraft detects a target from 300 to 400 km away and transmits information, it can receive the data and fire the R-77, also known as ‘Amramsky’ missile, from a distance of more than 100 km. If a helmet-linked sight is installed, the missile is automatically aimed in the direction the pilot is looking, making it possible to attack opposing fighters without engaging in a so-called tail-and-nail close-range dogfight.
Russia, which is simplifying its fighter force with a focus on the Sukhoi series, appears to be handing over spare MIG-29 parts to North Korea to clear its inventory and also helping improve its performance. Once this work is completed, the number of MIG-29s in North Korea could more than double from the current 20 or so. Armed with AESA radar, new medium-range air-to-air missiles, and a data link system, 40 to 50 MIG-29s are sufficient to upgrade North Korea’s air power to the next level.
F-15K·FA-50 performance improvement needs to be improved quickly
![Korean Air Force FA-50 fighter jet. [한국항공우주산업 제공]](https://dimg.donga.com/wps/NEWS/IMAGE/2024/04/06/124349356.2.jpg)
Of course, no matter how ‘full option’ the MIG-29 is, it is impossible to compete against the Korean Air Force’s stealth fighter F-35A or the KF-16V, which has been improved to the latest specifications. The F-35A, a stealth fighter, is no different from a ‘ghost’ that cannot even be seen in the MIG-29’s situation. When two fighter jets collide, an air battle occurs that is closer to a one-sided massacre than an engagement. The KF-16V also surpasses the MIG-29 in terms of performance. The KF-16V’s high-performance AESA radar can detect MIG-29-sized fighters from up to 370 km away. Thanks to cutting-edge technology that prevents the MIG-29’s radar warning receiver from recognizing whether it is aiming, it can be easily suppressed even from a long distance. The AIM-120C-7/8, the main air-to-air weapon of the KF-16V, has a range of 120 to 150 km and a flight speed of up to the speed of sound (Mach) 4. When a North Korean pilot notices a missile approaching, the MIG-29 is bound to fall to pieces in the air.
The problem is the South Korean Air Force fighter jets that have not yet been improved. The Korean Air Force has 59 F-15Ks, 60 FA-50s, and about 80 F-5E/F fighters. The F-15K, which has not yet been improved, has no choice but to fight at a disadvantage in many ways against the MIG-29 equipped with AESA radar. The FA-50 and F-5E/F series, which are responsible for emergency sorties in the metropolitan area, do not have mid-range air-to-air engagement capabilities and self-defense electronic warfare systems. In the event of an emergency, there is a high possibility that it will be unilaterally hunted by the upgraded North Korean MIG-29.
North Korea is rapidly modernizing its conventional military forces in cooperation with Russia. The South Korean military also needs to completely reorganize its military capabilities, which were built on the premise that the North Korean military is armed with outdated weapons. The schedule for the F-15K performance improvement project, which is scheduled to be completed in the early 2030s, must be accelerated and the early retirement of the outdated F-5E/F must be promoted. Additionally, the performance improvement project must be expedited to use the FA-50 as a proper fighter jet. If military preparedness cannot change quickly to keep up with the rapidly changing security environment on the Korean Peninsula, the people will inevitably bear the brunt of the consequences.
〈This article Weekly Donga It was published in issue 1434〉
Shin In-gyun, CEO of Independent Defense Network
2024-04-06 17:31:11