Sunday

Boeing Delivers Latest F-15K Slam Eagle Jets To South Korea

The latest two aircraft from South Korea's ongoing acquisition of the Boeing F-15K Slam Eagle have arrived at the nation's Daegu air base.

Boeing announced details of the milestone on 5 April, three weeks after the aircraft had arrived at the end of their delivery flights from St Louis, Missouri.

The pair left the company's production site on 8 March, and were flown to South Korea via stops in Palmdale, California, Hickam AFB, Hawaii and Andersen AFB, Guam.

The newly delivered fighters are tail numbers 47 and 48 from Seoul's overall programme for 61 F-15Ks. Boeing delivered the first six aircraft from a 21-unit order last year, and says the remaining 13 will be handed over throughout April 2012.

The South Korean air force had previously acquired 40 of the two-seat aircraft, before signing a follow-on order in 2008 for its new, Pratt & Whitney F100-229-powered examples.

Boeing says the service will deploy six of its F-15Ks to Nellis AFB in Nevada early next year to participate in an advanced aerial combat training exercise alongside the US Air Force.