The Air Force renewed its relationship with Korean Air Lines for the upkeep of USAF F-15s based at Kadena AB, Japan. KAL will continue to perform programmed depot maintenance in Pusan, South Korea, on Kadena’s F-15s for the next five years under a $473 million contract signed last month at Robins AFB, Ga. “Since 1982, we have been in a very solid partnership with Korean Air Lines that has kept the F-15 healthy and viable,” said Col. Gerald Swift, USAF’s F-15 division director, during the Sept. 21 signing ceremony with June Chul Choi, managing vice president of KAL’s aerospace division. Swift added, “When you talk world-class depot performance, there is absolutely no doubt they are world class.” Typically, KAL performs PDM on nine of Kadena’s 54 F-15s each year, but the contract allows for up to 12 airplanes annually. (Robins report by Jenny Gordon)
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.