Pilsung [Pil-sung] Range
Korean Tactical Range (KOTAR)
3706N 12854E
Pil Sung ("Sure Victory") is located almost dead center in the Republic of Korea, adjacent to the Mt. Taebaeksan Provincial Park. It is jointly operated by the US Air Force and the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF). Pil-sung Range is an isolated unit, about 5 hours from Seoul, located at the foot of Mt Taebeck, one of the highest mountains in Korea. It is 160 miles due east of Osan and takes about 4 1/2 hours travel time by road. Pil Sung has a weapons range used by many combat units in the Pacific, as well as seven radar sites which simulated the Air Defenses pilots might encounter in combat.
Det 1 of the 51st Range Squadron in Pil Sung provides electronic warfare training for USAF, US Army, US Navy/Marines, and Republic of Korea aircrews. In 1992 there were around 45 US Air Force people and about 250 ROKAF people orgainzed into squadrons of the US and Korean Air Forces. It is now manned by US & Korean Civilian Contractors. There is a dining facility, Club, gym facilities, cable TV, video library and one medic. It is VERY remote. During deployments to places like Pilsung, Nightmare and Koon-ni Ranges for live-fire close air support training, enlisted terminal attack controllers, or ETACs, control missions sent to them by the Air Support Operations Center. ETACs direct the air support for Army units in combat and field training exercises.

After a more than three-year break, Navy F-14 aircrews returned to Korea to practice forward air control tactics with local A-10 pilots. During their 30 July through 11 August 2000 visit, aircrews from the USS Kitty Hawk?s Carrier Air Wing FIVE, flew joint training sorties with 25th Fighter Squadron A-10s at Pil Sung Range. The visiting naval detachment and five F-14s deployed to Osan from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan. The training was held in Korea, because it?s required to drop ordnance and naval air crews aren?t allowed to carry weapons out of Japan for training missions. The only suitable bombing range for this training in Southeast Asia is the Pil Sung Range, according to Navy standards. Because it was a training mission for the Navy, Adams said the Navy aviators did most of the forward air controlling. The A-10 pilots helped the Navy?s training by serving as strikers.

Kotar Range is located near Pilsung, South Korea. American Forces Korea Network provides radio and television programming, news and information to all United States military personnel, civilians and their families serving on the Korean Peninsula. TV and radio programming consists partly of satellite-delivered material provided by the AFRTS Broadcast Center in Riverside, California, and the rest is locally produced. AFKN currently consists of the headquarters facility in Seoul and includes an AM radio transmitter at Kotar Range.