Five US F-16 Fighting Falcon instructor pilots, including three from the US 35th Fighter Squadron at Kunsan AB, Korea, trained eight KF-16 pilots from the Republic of Korea Air Force in aerial refueling in September 2011. Over a two week period, the US instructor pilots flew thirty-eight sorties supported by KC-135 tanker crews from Kadena AB, Japan. Many ROKAF pilots have never flown any appreciable distance from the peninsula as South Korea does not operate any tankers. By training ROKAF pilots in aerial refueling, Korea gains the ability to deploy as well as remain on station in any conflict for a longer period of time using allied tankers. The ROKAF instructors trained in this bilateral operation will train future KF-16 pilots.
