The Korean War: The Transition to the ‘Jet Age’

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The Korean War: The Transition to the ‘Jet Age’


The Korean War (1950-1953) saw several firsts; the first major clash of the United States post-World War II, the commitment of the United Nations to armed conflict, the first serious contest between the post-war superpowers (the Soviet Union and the United States) and the employment of jet aircraft in large quantities.

Jets did indeed, operate across both, the European and Pacific theaters in World War II. The Luftwaffe were the first to seriously employ jet aircraft in combat with the Me-262, Me-163, the Heinkel 162, the Arado Ar 234.

The Royal Air Force successfully employed the Gloster Meteor against the V-1 flying bomb. Although debated, there is zero evidence that the Gloster Meteor, even though deployed against Germany in the final months of the Second World War, ever did meet the Me-262 in combat.

The Korean War would see, as a matter of routine, numerous jet aircraft from the United Nations participate in aerial combat against the Migs of the North Korean, Chinese Air Forces. Soviet pilots participated in routine combat against American F-86 Sabre Jets. “For the first time both sides possessed significant numbers of them, and "The First Jet Air War" featured dogfights between MiG-15s and F-86 Sabres along with the advent of the jet fighter-bomber.”[1]

The United States was caught off guard when the North Koreans crossed the 38th parallel. Aircraft and Squadrons were rushed to Japan to operate from the numerous airbases established by the Occupation Forces of the United States.

 

The Russians, Chinese, and North Korean pilots all flew the MIG-15 against the F-86.

Significant improvements had been made in the design of both, jet engines, and the aircraft they mounted between 1945 and 1950.

 

The first-generation jet aircraft mostly used straight wings in their design and manufacture. The MIG-15 and the      F-86 both sported swept wings and, in a unique bit of similar design approaches, air intakes in the nose. "Here, the best from both sides sparred and dueled, fought and killed--or died--in an arena almost completely detached from the World War I-like trench warfare far below to the south, and even from the results of the war as a whole.”[2]

 

The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps also deployed jet aircraft. The F-9 Panther was the “first carrier jets to fly in combat, shooting down two YAK-9s on their first mission in July 1950.”[3] The F-9 was the primary carrier-based aircraft employed during the Korean war and the F-9 would claims some MIG-15 kills.

The mainstay U.S. Air Force close air support aircraft, next to the venerable P-51 (renamed F-51) was the F-80 Shooting Star. The F-80 deployed immediately after hostilities began. Although a late Word War II design, the F-80 would be pressed into service until the F-86s began arriving. Of the design, “the Shooting Star retained the straight wings and tail of World War II piston-engine fighters—design elements that impaired performance when approaching the speed of sound.” [4]





The Korean War, in the air, was transitional as the Soviets and the United Nations Air Forces fielded many of the left-over piston fighter aircraft from the Second World War. While the Russians fielded Yakovlev YAK-9s, the Air Force deployed F-51 Mustangs to provide close air support for the U.S. Army and UN forces. Both the Navy and the Marine Corps deployed the F4U Corsair and the AD-1 Skyraider. The Skyraider sported four 20mm cannons and would provide yeomen’s service to the Marines as they withdrew along the Chosin Resevoir.

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) deployed the Gloster Meteor of the late Second World War vintage. This aircraft had two large outboard engines with nacelles on the wings and a very straight wing much like the F-80 Shooting Star. Despite its shortcomings, it would provide close air support and engage with MIG-15s in a large air battle. The “Battle of Sunchon” 1 December, 1951, would see 14 of No. 77 Squadron’s Meteors engage upwards of 20 MIG-15s piloted by Soviets. It was an unfair fight owing to the Meteor being so outclassed by the swept wing MIG-15s. No.77 Squadron would lose 3 aircraft that day.




Perhaps most striking, with respect to technology, was the wide use of helicopters in the Korean War. Many were pressed into Combat Search and Rescue (C-SAR) and operated from U.S. Navy carriers, battleships, cruisers, and destroyers. The Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps operated them as well.  Foreshadowing the Vietnam conflict, the U.S. Army employed a number of helicopters in the war.

The rotary wing aircraft were first generation and limited in ability but they would be used to transport the wounded (Casualty Evacuation: CASEVAC) and logistics resupply. The U.S. Marine Corps employed helicopters all through the war and eventually supported the Army and the Republic of Korea Army (ROK-A). “Army rotary-wing cargo units teamed with USMC H-19 Chickasaws in June 1953 as part of the largest helicopter operation of the war with 45 aircraft transporting 800 Republic of Korea troops.”[5]

The Korean War saw late Second World War technology employed along with newer and innovative designs such as the F-86 Sabre Jet and the H-19 Chicasaw. The air-to-air combat, despite the modern swept wings and jet engines, would see airmen engaging one another with guns in turning combat that was more like Great War aviators over Europe. Many of these pilots would achieve ‘Ace’ status (5 aerial kills) with several achieving kills from both, the Second World War and the new war that ushered in the jet age.




RESOURCES

[1] Conrad Crane, “Raiding the beggar's pantry: The search for airpower strategy in the Korean War,” The Journal of Military History; Lexington Vol. 63, Iss. 4, (Oct 1999): 885-920.

[2] Naval History and Heritage Command, Naval Aircraft: Aircraft in the Korean Conflict: F-9 Panther, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/naval-aviation-history/naval-aircraft/aircraft-in-the-korean-conflict/f9f-panther.html.

[3] Michael Peck, “In the Korean War, America’s F-86 Sabre and Russia’s MiG-15 Fighter Duked it Out,” The National Interest, 9 November, 2020, https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/korean-war-america%E2%80%99s-f-86-sabre-and-russia%E2%80%99s-mig-15-fighter-duked-it-out-172161.

[4] Sebastian Roblin, “Meet the F-80 Shooting Star: The First U.S. Jet Fighter That Went to War Against North Korea,” The National Interest, 3 January, 2019, https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/meet-f-80-shooting-star-first-us-jet-fighter-went-war-against-north-korea-40417.

[5] Dr. Kaylene Hughes, “Army helicopters in Korea, 1950 to '53,” Army.mil, Articles, 28 October, 2016, https://www.army.mil/article/177302/army_helicopters_in_korea_1950_to_53#:~:text=The%20Army%20helicopters%20initially%20deployed%20to%20Korea%20were,North%20Korea%20invaded%20the%20south%20in%20June%201950.




 




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