SHAH ALAM: South Korean air force air demo team – the Black Eagles – left the country this morning for Malaysia for LIMA 2023 airshow starting next Tuesday. Nine F-50B of the Black Eagles team and three C-130B Hercules transport plane with 110 personnel flew from an air base in Wonju, 87 kilometers, southeast of Seoul on May 17 bound for Langkawi.
The contingent is expected to arrive in Malaysia on May 18 via South Korea’s southern island of Jeju and the Philippines. From Yonhap news agency:
SEOUL, May 17 (Yonhap) — The South Korean Air Force’s Black Eagles aerobatic team left the country Wednesday to join a biennial air show in Malaysia slated to kick off next week, the armed service said.
The Air Force has mobilized nine T-50B jets and three C-130 transport planes, as well as 110 personnel, to participate in the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) set to take place at the Langkawi International Airport from Tuesday through Saturday.
The team departed from an air base in Wonju, 87 kilometers southeast of Seoul, earlier in the day and is scheduled to arrive at the Malaysian airport Thursday via South Korea’s southern island of Jeju and the Philippines.
The team plans to stage a 30-minute performance, including 24 high-level aerial maneuvers, including drawing the “taegeuk” pattern, the signature symbol of the South Korean national flag, with smoke trails.
“(The participation) will serve as an opportunity for us to showcase South Korea’s air power and the excellence of the domestically produced aircraft,” an Air Force official was quoted as saying in a press release.
This will be the second time for Black Eagles taking part in the LIMA series exhibition after their first in 2017. Their participation came in the wake of the purchase of 18 FA-50s by the RMAF for its FLIT/LCA requirements.
It has been reported that the first air demo team to arrive in Langkawi is the PLAAF August 1st team. They arrived either last night or this morning. Indonesian Air Force Jupiter Team is also making its way to Malaysia for LIMA 2023. It stopped at Pulau Belitung off Sumatera on Tuesday on its way to Langkawi.
— Malaysian Defence