Kunsan Maintainers Chop Up, Ship Out F-16s

Maintainers at Kunsan AB, South Korea, recently dismantled two derelict F-16s for shipment back to the United States, according to 8th Fighter Wing officials. This work freed up space on the flight line for one of the base’s core missions: accepting follow-on forces as part of the defense of South Korea, states the wing’s Oct. 7 release. The two F-16s crashed several years ago, but the wrecks had remained at the base, said TSgt. Marvin Burton, the 8th Maintenance Squadron’s Crash Damage Disabled Aircraft Recovery team chief. Rather than shipping the airplanes to the United States in large pieces—which would have cost a great deal more money—the airmen cut up and broke down the two jets this past summer into manageable pieces for the overseas trip, states the release. Members of the 8th Logistics Readiness Squadron packaged the pieces for the trip. (Kunsan report by SrA. Armando A. Schwier-Morales)