The Korean People's Army Air Force (KPAF; Korean: 조선인민군 공군) is the unified military aviation force of North Korea. It is the second largest branch of the Korean People's Army comprising an estimated 110,000 members. As of 2024, it is estimated to possess some 570 combat aircraft, 200 helicopters, and a few transporters, mostly of decades-old Soviet and Chinese origin. Its primary task is to defend North Korean airspace.
In April 2022, the Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force name was changed to Korean People's Army Air Force.
The Korean People's Army Air Force began as the "Korean Aviation Society (조선 항공대)" in 1945. It was organized along the lines of flying clubs in the Soviet Union. In 1946, the society became a military organization and became an aviation division of the Korean People's Army (KPA). It became a branch of the army in its own right in November 1948. Training personnel for what was now known as the "Korean People's Air Force Air Corps" was a major hurdle, with the Soviets reporting in May 1950 that of the 120 trained pilots, only 32 were combat qualified. The only experienced pilots in North Korea before this were those who flew for the IJAAF. These pilots were however rejected by society and the regime. Nevertheless, on June 25, 1950, the KPAF started flying support missions for the Invasion of South Korea.
Korean War: Invasion of South Korea and UN Offensive (June – November 1950)
During the early period of the war, the Il-10 Beasts were the main bombers used in the strikes against airfields in South Korea, while Yak-9/9P Franks as well other trainer and fighter aircraft were used in CAP and Strafing attacks. North Korea's Air Force also at that time had many Japanese aircraft including a Ki-54 transport. Only one encounter with USAF aircraft occurred when two unknown North Korean aircraft attacked two F-82 Twin Mustangs. The KPAF aircraft were out of range and thus failed to score any kills.
On June 27, a USAF F-82 shot down a Yak-11 Trainer that was escorted by four Yak-9s. On the 29th, after Seoul fell, a strike was conducted on Suwon Airfield by 3 Il-10s and 6 Yak-9s, destroying an American C-54 Skymaster on the ground. A second strike on Suwon was however intercepted by F-80C Shooting Stars.
Throughout July and August, the KPAF continued in supporting the ground offensive near the Pusan Perimeter. During that time, they came into increasing contact with USAF and USN jet aircraft, resulting in more losses.
During the first-ever strike by carrier-borne jet aircraft on July 3, 1950, VF-51, from USS Valley Forge CV-45, claimed the first kill by a naval jet when an F9F-3 Panther shot down a KPAF Yak-9P. On that day, many KPAF Yak-9Ps were caught on the ground scrambling, with many reportedly taking off towards each other. In the end, the Pyongyang, Pyongyang East and Onjong-Ni Airfields (which were targeted in the strike), were hit successfully while the KPAF lost many of their aircraft. At the same time, USAF B-29 Superfortresses, P-80Cs, F-51 Mustangs and A-26 Invaders began to attack ground targets inside North Korea, encountering very little resistance from the KPAF.
Soviet sources reported that the KPAF was no longer operating after August 10 and was finally wiped out by a strike by USN aircraft on August 22. For their part, the KPAF only shot down 3 US aircraft in air combat (a B-29, an L-4 and an L-5). On November 6, 1950, two Yak-9Ps were shot down by F-51Ds from 67th FBS became the last KPAF propeller aircraft lost.
Reorganization (November 1950–1953)
After the heavy losses encountered in July and August 1950, the Soviets began to train the North Koreans to fly the MiG-15 Fagot, although the Soviets were the first to fly the MiG against the UN Forces. Although many North Korean pilots were experienced when they flew the MiG-15, the Soviets admitted that most were highly inexperienced.
The Korean People's Army would continue to receive new generations of Soviet fighters throughout the mid-late 1950s and into the early 1960s, culminating in the receipt of the first MiG-21s which arrived in 1963, and possibly earlier. During hostilites in the inter-Korean Demilitarised Zone later that decade, Korean People's Army Air Force MiG-21s were credited with shooting down an American RF-4C reconnaissance plane on August 31, 1967, an F-105D fighter five months later on January 14, 1968 and an F-4B fighter the following month on February 12. On January 23, 1968 a pair of MiG-21 fighters were involved in the first stages of the joint operation with the Korean People's Army Navy to capture the American surveillance ship USS Pueblo.
The KPAAF has on occasion deployed abroad. It deployed a fighter squadron to North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Kim Il Sung reportedly told the North Korean pilots "to fight in the war as if the Vietnamese sky were their own."
North Korean personnel manned one MiG-21 company and two MiG-17 companies in the North Vietnamese fleet, providing a 50 percent increase to North Vietnam's fighter strength. Between 87 and 96 North Korean pilots served in the conflict, and were credited by North Vietnamese pilots with downing 26 American aircraft while taking 14 losses.
On April 15, 1969, MiG-21s of the KPAF shot down a Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star in international waters, in the Sea of Japan. In 1973, a North Korean flight of MiG-21s deployed to Bir Arida to help defend southern Egypt during the Yom Kippur War. The unit had four to six encounters with the Israelis from August through the end of the war. According to Shlomo Aloni, the last aerial engagement on the Egyptian front, which took place on 6 December, saw Israeli Air Force F-4s engage North Korean-piloted MiG-21s. The Israelis shot down one MiG and another was shot down by friendly fire from Egyptian air defenses. KPAAF pilots continued to fly Syrian MiG-21s throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s.
The KPAAF has received over 500 aircraft from China between 1956 and 1981, such as 100 units of Shenyang J-6 fighter jets in 1971, 18 units of Harbin H-5 medium bombers, 40 units of Harbin Z-5 transport helicopters between 1974 and 1975, an additional 30 units of J-6 in 1978, and 40 units of Chengdu J-7 in 1981.
In 1990–91, North Korea activated four forward air bases near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
According to a 2021 report from the US Defense Intelligence Agency, the most modern assets of the KPAF are the MiG-29 and MiG-23, while the Su-25 ground attack and Ilyushin Il-28 bomber aircraft are also deemed by the DIA as having some capability. The KPAF also maintains obsolete types including the MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, and MiG-21. The DIA assesses that the North Koreans would be unable to prevail in combat against US forces "overwhelming advantages in power projection, strategic air superiority, and precision-guided standoff strike capability," and would face "considerable difficulty" against South Korean air defences, relying mostly on Antonov An-2 transports for inserting special forces into South Korea and UAVs for intelligence gathering and supplementing the air force ground attack capabilities.