An airman salutes an F-16 Fighting Falcon as it taxis at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, July 28, 2025. (Landon Gunsauls/U.S. Air Force)
The Air Force has started moving 31 F-16 Fighting Falcons from southwestern South Korea to Osan Air Base as part of a plan to form a second “super squadron” closer to the border with North Korea, the service announced Thursday.
The aircraft, previously stationed at Kunsan Air Base, about 115 miles south of Seoul, began arriving at Osan on July 28, according to a news release from the 51st Fighter Wing.
Osan — approximately 30 miles south of Seoul — is home to the 7th Air Force, the U.S. command tasked with defending South Korea from air attacks. About 5,500 U.S. personnel are stationed there.
The realignment is part of 7th Air Force’s broader plan to consolidate its fighter assets into two large squadrons, aiming to produce more sorties with fewer resources.
The super squadron initiative is a yearlong “force-optimization test designed to see if a larger, consolidated squadron can generate more combat power and operate more efficiently,” Capt. Bryce Hughes of the 51st Maintenance Group said in the release.
Approximately 1,000 airmen from Kunsan are also scheduled to relocate to Osan in the coming months as part of the yearlong trial.
The first super squadron was formed in July 2024 with the arrival of nine F-16s and 150 airmen. After a yearlong trial, the Air Force approved plans to form the second squadron, which is expected to be operational by October.
Kunsan will continue to serve as a location for airpower exercises and rotational assets in South Korea, Capt. Alvin Nelson, spokesman for the 8th Fighter Wing, said by email Friday.
“The 8th [Fighter Wing] will maintain its support of peninsula-wide exercises and training – remaining a critical part of 7th Air Force’s mission to provide combat airpower in defense of the South Korea-U.S. alliance,” he wrote.
Osan also received an unspecified number of F-16s from the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Base in northeastern Japan between June 26 and 27, the 51st Fighter Wing said at the time. Those fighters — unrelated to the super squadron effort — had been upgraded with advanced avionic systems.
Air Force F-16s in South Korea regularly participate in exercises with South Korean and Japanese forces. On June 18, six of the aircraft carried out a drill south of Jeju Island alongside two South Korean F-15K Slam Eagles and two Japanese Mitsubishi F-2s, according to a news release from the Ministry of National Defense.
