GWANGJU AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Members of the 8th Fighter Wing participated in Fiscal Year 23 Korea Flying Training ( KFT) alongside units from the 51st Fighter Wing, Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea (ROK) Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps, April 17-28, 2023. KFT 23 is a combined training event focused on tactical execution of combat missions to maintain military readiness and is part of the ROK-U.S. alliance’s routine, annual training program.
Among the participants were maintainers from the 35th Fighter Generation Squadron, the dedicated maintenance unit for the 35th Fighter Squadron.
Working around-the-clock in 12-hour shifts throughout the nine flying days of the exercise, the “Pantons” generated more than 115 F-16 Fighting Falcons for bilateral and joint training sorties. The 35 FGS also performed routine maintenance as necessary and ensured each mission had enough fully mission capable aircraft to meet training requirements.
KFT 23 integrated U.S. and ROK forces to train for air-to-air and air-to-ground missions to ensure mutual understanding and trust between the two nations, all while increasing interoperability.