Gimhae Air Base is a Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) base adjacent to Gimhae International Airport. Runway 18L/36R is used for military purposes only.

Units

The base is home to the ROKAF's 5th Tactical Airlift Wing (제5전술공수비행단), comprising: * 251st Tactical Air Support Squadron flying the C-130H and C-130H-30 * 258th Tactical Support Squadron flying the CN235-100M and CN235-220M * 259th Tactical Air Support Squadron flying the UH-60P The ROKAF's 4 Boeing 737 AEW&C ''Peace Eye'' aircraft were all delivered to the base which is to be the home base for the aircraft. Until September 2010 a contingent of United States Air Force personnel of the 607th Materiel Maintenance Squadron served in a co-located operating base on Gimhae Air Base.

History

The base was originally established during the Korean War as Pusan West (K-1) Air Base and hosted United States Air Force and United States Marine Corps units. On 25 June 1950, 10 divisions of the North Korean People's Army attacked the Republic of Korea. The North Koreans quickly overwhelmed the South Korean Army and moved south. Following the passing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 83 on 27 June 1950,

President Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

ordered US forces to defend the Republic of Korea. On 30 June 1950 C-54s of the Fifth Air Force began transporting a battalion of the 24th Infantry Division from Itazuke Air Base to K-1, however the weight of the C-54s damaged the runway and later flights were made using C-47s. On 2 July the Battalion, known as Task Force Smith, boarded trains to Taejon and was destroyed on 4 July in the Battle of Osan. On 7 July 1950 two L-5s and an SC-47 from the

3rd Air Rescue Squadron The 563rd Rescue Group is a United States Air Force unit stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The group also controls the rescue squadrons at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. It is assigned to the 355th Wing. The group direc ...

(3rd ARS) deployed to K-1 from

Ashiya AB is a military airdrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force . It is located north of Ashiya in the Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. History Ashiya Airfield was established as a Japanese Army Air Force facility in 1944, and was used primarily as a de ...

in Japan, but the aircraft proved unsuitable for the terrain and returned to Japan on 16 July. On 30 August, the 3rd ARS formally organized Detachment F, with six H-5s at K-1. Following the success of the

Inchon landing The Battle of Incheon (), also spelled Battle of Inchon, was an amphibious invasion and a battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations Command (UN). The operation involved s ...

Detachment F moved north to Seoul (K-16) Air Base. On 24 December 1950 the Air Defense Section of Marine Tactical Air Control Squadron 2 was deployed to K-1 to establish a tactical air command center. By April 1951 K-1 served as the headquarters of the First Marine Air Wing and Marine Aircraft Group 12 was based at K-1 to provide aircraft for combat missions and special missions.

VMA-513 Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 502 (VMFAT-502) is a United States Marine Corps fighter attack training squadron flying the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. Known as the "Flying Nightmares", the squadron maintains the history of ''Marin ...

flying F7Fs and F4U-5Ns were flying out of K-1 and providing the sole night fighter air defense and interdiction support to all UN forces in Korea. On 31 May 1951 a US Navy R5D-3 #56513 hit a mountain at the end of the base killing all 5 passengers and crew. In November 1951 the 1903rd Aviation Engineer Battalion arrived at K-1 and relieved the First Marine Air Wing of all responsibilities for maintaining the base and runways. Maintenance responsibility was later assumed by the 366th Aviation Battalion. Tachikawa Ki-9 - Aircraft

From October to December 1952, the

17th Bombardment Wing 17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 (number), 16 and preceding 18 (number), 18. It is a prime number. Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers. In mathematics 17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the ...

was based at K-1 to allow for the resurfacing of the

Pusan East (K-9) Air Base Pusan East (K-9) Air Base was a United States Air Force (USAF) and Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) air base adjacent to the Suyeong River in Haeundae District, Busan, South Korea. It was redeveloped in the 1990s as Centum City, a commercial ...

runway from PSP to asphalt.

References

{{authority control South Korean airbases Korean War air bases