[2026 Parliamentary Audit] Air Force Has Far Too Few Aerial Refueling Tankers

Yoo Yongwon: "Acquisition project stalled over MOEF's project analysis"
"More tankers urgently needed if additional F-35s, KF-21s, etc. are acquired"

There are concerns that the Republic of Korea Air Force has far too few aerial refueling tankers. These aircraft serve as “gas stations in the sky,” refueling fighter jets midair. They are considered strategic assets because they extend fighters’ time in the air and enhance their operational capabilities.

According to materials submitted by the Air Force to Yoo Yongwon, a People Power Party lawmaker on the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee, the Air Force first introduced the KC-330 aerial refueling tanker in 2018. Having tankers greatly increases fighter jets’ mission radius, time in the air and weapons-carrying capacity. The F-15K can operate for about 30 minutes near Dokdo and about 20 minutes near Ieodo, while the KF-16 can operate for about 10 minutes near Dokdo and about 5 minutes near Ieodo. With aerial refueling, however, their operating time increases by about an hour.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff decided in 2021 to acquire two additional tankers, but the project began to stall after the Ministry of Economy and Finance called for a project cost analysis study. The bigger issue lies ahead. If the Air Force acquires more F-35 stealth fighters, KF-21s and other aircraft, it will need more tankers. Currently, each aerial refueling tanker in the Air Force must serve 100 fighter jets. That is far more than in Australia, where each tanker serves 35 aircraft, the United Kingdom, where it serves 17, and the United States, where it serves 9.

The KC-330, first introduced in 2018, has also served as a transport aircraft because it was converted from Airbus’s civilian A330-200 passenger jet. It has played a major role in transport missions, including moving COVID-19 vaccines, bringing Afghan local collaborators to Korea in Operation Miracle, and emergency airlifting of urea solution, as well as the recently controversial repatriation of the remains of General Hong Beom-do.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.