Update: RoKAF fires warning shots at Russian AEW&C aircraft

Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) fighter aircraft fired warning shots at a Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft accused of having violated South Korean airspace twice on 23 July, according to South Korean officials.

A photograph reportedly taken on 23 July from a Japanese military aircraft showing the VKS Beriev A-50 AEW&C aircraft at which South Korean fighters fired warning shorts. The A-50 was accused of having violated South Korean airspace twice that same day. (Japanese MoD )

Citing an official from the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the Yonhap News Agency reported that the A-50 intruded into South Korean airspace around 0900 h local time while flying over the East Sea (Sea of Japan) near the disputed Liancourt Rocks, which are known as Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima in Japanese. The small islets, which are also claimed by Japan, are under South Korean control.

According to the Ministry of National Defense (MND) in Seoul, the incident is the first time that a Russian aircraft has violated South Korean airspace.

The RoKAF responded by scrambling F-15K and F-16K combat aircraft to intercept and warn the A-50. “But the plane did not respond, so one of our aircraft fired some 10 rounds of flares and 80 warning shots,” said the official.

The A-50 left South Korean airspace momentarily, but returned about 30 minutes later. The RoKAF aircraft then responded by dispensing flares and firing about 280 warning shots, which, according to Yonhap, prompted the Russian aircraft to leave South Korean airspace four minutes later.