The Air Force's special flight team Black Eagles will take part in the International Defense Industry Exhibition 2026 in Saudi Arabia next month.
The Air Force said on the 21st that Black Eagles will depart from Wonju Base on the 28th to join the Saudi defense exhibition. Black Eagles will make a refueling stop at Naha Base in Okinawa, Japan, and hold an exchange event with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's special flight team Blue Impulse. It is said to be the first time that Black Eagles have stopped in Japan and held an exchange event with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
Previously, in Nov. last year, Black Eagles had planned to refuel in Japan en route to the Dubai Airshow in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but Japan refused refueling on the grounds that the T-50B, among the aircraft to be refueled, had conducted routine training near Dokdo. As a result, Black Eagles' participation in the Dubai Airshow was also canceled.
This year, consultations between Korea and Japan appear to have gone smoothly. After Ahn Gyu-baek, Minister of National Defense, and Shinjiro Koizumi, Japan's defense minister, held a coordination call on the 26th of last month, renewed cooperation for a Japan stopover was pursued, and on the 5th of this month a defense attaché note was sent for the Japan stopover and airspace transit.
Accordingly, Black Eagles' participation in the Middle East exhibition was finalized. Starting the day after the opening ceremony, Black Eagles plan to perform a total of 24 high-difficulty maneuvers to showcase Korea's weapons systems and pilot skills. An Air Force official said, "Among the 24 high-difficulty maneuvers, Black Eagles will present the 'mugunghwa maneuver,' which shapes the petals of the mugunghwa, for the first time ever at an overseas airshow."
After completing a refueling stop in Japan, Black Eagles will proceed via Clark in the Philippines; Da Nang, Vietnam; Chiang Mai, Thailand; Kolkata, Nagpur, and Jamnagar in India; and Muscat, Oman; before arriving at Malham Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The total distance is about 11,300 km.