According to North Korea’s own reports, it has staged a show of force with about 150 military aircraft, with the aim of deterring participants in the South Korean-American joint exercises.
Judging by the leaked images, you can really see a lot of military aircraft, but it seems that the bulk of the North Korean Air Force consists of very old MiG-19, 21 and 23, or their Chinese copies. You can also see some MiG-29 and Su-25 fighters.
North Korea claims that 150 fighter jets took part in a large-scale joint air attack exercise on October 8, Su-25, MiG-29, MiG-23, MiG-21 and Mig-19 can be seen. pic.twitter.com/FWqWU63uNZ
— Joseph (Dempsey) October 10 2022
MiG-19 aircraft precisely represent the technological level of the 50s, the machines have neither modern communication devices nor radars. It is possible that in the event of a real conflict, these aircraft would easily fall victim to the South Korean air defenses. North Korea’s newest aircraft, MiG-29s, first flew in 1977.
Cover photo: A Zhengfeng F-6 aircraft in a Chinese museum with Chinese insignia. The F-6 is a Chinese copy of the Soviet MiG-19. The picture is an illustration. Source: Gary Todd, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
