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The Study on the Air Combat of the Jet Fighters during the Korean War from November

Lee, Myoung-Hwan 1 김관호 2

1공군사관학교
2청주대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This article analyzes the air combat of jet fighter during the Korean War. Without question, the decisive force in the Korean War have been the air power, despite limited resources and many restrictions. US Far East Air Force(FEAF) played the major role in taking the air superiority over the air campaign in Korea. Before the outbreak of the war, China and the Soviet Union already agreed upon the Chinese ground force support for North Korea and the Soviet air support for the China ground force. According to this agreement, the Soviet Union established the 64th Fighter Air Corps in Manchuria to protect the Chinese northeast industrial centers, powerplants and rail bridges near the Yalu river, and a transport network between Pyongyang and Wonsan. To accomplish this mission, Soviet MiG-15 jet fighters had engaged in the air combats(dog fightings) with F-86 jet fighters of FEAF in the so called MiG-alley. This story of the war in the air has been well told. Despite numerical superiority in fighter aircraft, the 64th Fighter Air Corps and chinese Air Force were unable to gain air superiority. F-86 of FEAF shot down over 792 MiGs at a greater than 7-to-1 ratio. These high figures show a significantly better performance against a numerically superior MiGs. A number of reason accounts for this, among them poor tactics, poor flying skills and perhaps a fear of widening the war etc. It was the air superiority of FEAF, what finally compelled the Communists to accept the armistice. MiG-15 had developed several air combat tactics to defeat F-86 throughout the 63,229 sorties for air combat. And the Soviet 64 Fighter Air Corps could achieve some tactical results in air warfare.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.