December 14, 14:30

  Seoul NIS Secretary’s office

  December 14, 14:30

  Seoul NIS Secretary’s office

  Knock knock.

  “Come in,” said Secretary Na Bong-il from inside.

  “This is an emergency.”


  Director Kim Na-youn from the North Korean Intelligence Department opened the door of the office and urgently rushed in.

  Secretary Na Bong-il felt something was amiss. He stood up as he queried.

  “What is it?”


  Director Kim Na-youn handed the Secretary a document instead of answering. Secretary Na Bong-il snatched the document and began reading. It was a transcription of Lee Byung-chul’s phone call 30 minutes ago that was made via satellite.

  “What is this?” Secretary Na Bong-il asked.

  Director Kim Na-youn caught his breath from running and then spoke.

  “It’s the contents of someone making a phone call to Pyeongyang from Washington via satellite.”


  “What? From the White House?” asked the NIS Secretary.

  “No. Not from the White House but somewhere near Washington,” Director Kim Na-youn answered.

  Secretary Na Bong-il was relieved upon hearing that the call did not come from Washington. He read again the transcription. The exchange was under a minute long, but the topic of the conversation caught his full attention. The “last plan” and “it will happen soon”—those were words that warn of a terrorist attack.

  “Who is making a phone call from Pyeongyang to individuals in Washington?” Secretary Na Bong-il asked.

  The curiosity of the Secretary grew the more he read the contents.

  “First, take this information to the Intelligence Analysis Department to get a more accurate analysis. Also, get some assistance from professionals who were North Korean defectors and voice match the person making the phone call,” Secretary Na Bong-il ordered.

  “Yes, sir,” Director Kim answered.

  Lee Byung-chul’s phone calls apparently were wiretapped from the planet-wide communication satellite Hera-1, launched January of that year by an agent at the North Korean Intelligence Department; and so it was reported.

  * * *

  December 16, 2019, 14:00

  Junbook Muju-kun 99th Flight Training Wing Airforce Base Operations briefing room

  “Welcome. I am Brigadier General Kim Gi-tae of the 99th Flight Training Wing.”


  The 80 or so pilots who were seated in the room all murmured upon hearing Brigadier General Kim Gi-tae speak.

  “Young-ho, was there a 99th Flight Training Wing in our country? This is the first time I’ve heard of it?” whispered Captain Jeon Chang-bin.

  Captain Jeon Chang-bin was seated at the back of the center row. He had a bewildered look on his face as he whispered to his cohort and friend Captain Choi Young-ho.

  “How would I know? This is the first time I have heard of it too,” said Captain Choi Young-ho. “I was happy thinking we were going to operate an F-15K, but what in the name of God is this? Perhaps this Fighter Wing is based on the FA-50 jets? Maybe it consists of the F-35As we brought in from America early this year.”


  “F-35As were all deployed in the field, though,” said Captain Jeon Chang-bin.

  “Then what, they’re all F-50s as you said?” Captain Choi Young-ho asked.

  Captain Choi Young-ho had been a KF-16 fighter jet pilot for four years after graduating from the Air Force Academy before he was stationed to the 11th Fighter Wing in Daegu to pilot an F-15K. He was excited and happy to pilot an F-15K jet and was savoring his triumph until he was reassigned after five days at the 11th Fighter Wing.

  “Silence! I know all of you have many questions. But I will tell you this, you are all lucky to be here. The reason why will be explained by Colonel Ryu here. I know I am an old man and should save his words to avoid being scolded. So I will cut my greetings here. I will see you all at dinner. For now, please listen to the briefing. Dismissed!”


  When Brigadier General Kim Gi-tae left, all the pilots stood up. Colonel Ryu Jae-shin watched the General leave and then moved to the middle of the podium and looked at the pilots.

  “Everyone sit down. I am Colonel Ryu Jae-sin, a training staff officer. First, all the information you will receive from the 99th Flight Training Wing is SS-ranked classified military information. Leaking this information will be considered a crime of transfer. Keep this in mind while you watch the presentation.”


  Colonel Ryu Jae-shin seemed amused by the flushed faces of the pilots. He then continued speaking after smiling slightly.

  “All of you were stationed here because you were considered as the best in each of your Fighter Wings. Wouldn’t it feel better to think of it that way?” Colonel Ryu asked.

  Many of the pilots who were tense smiled slightly upon hearing those words. They began to relax and feel at ease.

  “As stated before, this is a Flight Training Wing. Therefore this is not a Fighter Wing but rather a training facility for piloting aircraft. And here—”


  “I have a question, sir.”


  Captain Choi Young-ho raised his hand and spoke loudly.

  “Is this training related to the FA-50 fighter jets?”


  All the pilots’ eyes fell on Captain Choi Young-ho and then on Colonel Ryu Jae-shin. All seemed to be relieved that the Captain voiced the question that was in their mind.

  “My, aren’t you impatient. What’s your name?”


  Colonel Ryu Jae-shin asked Captain Choi Young-ho. The Captain stood up.

  “Captain Choi Young-ho, sir. I apologize. I was too curious and couldn’t help but ask.”


  “Take a seat. You all must be curious. However, I will take questions after the briefing. So pay attention to the briefing. Understood, Captain Choi?”


  “Yes, sir.”


  Captain Choi Young-ho answered loudly and then sat down from embarrassment. Colonel Ryu Jae-shin coughed a few times before continuing his explanation.

  “This Muju 99th Flight Training Wing is half the size of Yeo-ui Island. This base would seem smaller than the other Fighter Wings. The base has the main building, community center, gym, living quarters, a complex, and 20 hangars. All training-related facilities and equipment are located on basement floors 3 to 7. The duration of the training will be 6 months, and all 80 of you gathered here will not be granted any leaves or outings until the program is over. You will all be educated and trained for 14 hours a day, 6 days a week, excluding Sundays.”


  For a split second, all the pilots seemed to have gone into a mental breakdown after hearing those words. They all looked at each other with desperation in their eyes. Choi Young-ho also looked at Jeon Chang-min’s face and frowned. He spoke.

  “What’s this? All the education and training I received before made me want to vomit, and now we have to get even more training. And no leaves or outings for six months?” thought Captain Choi Young-ho.

  Choi Young-ho glanced at Colonel Ryu Jae-shin with lifeless eyes and repeatedly mouthed the words: “This is a dream. It’s only a dream.”


  “Why do you all have long faces?” asked the Colonel.

  Colonel Ryu Jae-shin looked at the faces of the pilots filled with despair. He smiled devilishly as he continued his briefing.

  “Listen carefully. After 6 months of education and training, all those who pass the written and performance exam will be given a financial reward and 15 days of leave. Those who will fail will receive an additional month of training. There will be no financial reward or leave obviously. So it would be best for your body and mind to pass it on first try. Also, all those who finish training will be promoted a rank and will be given drill instructor positions here and in the 3rd Flight Training Wing for two years. How does that sound to you?”


  “Whoa!”


  “Yeah!” the crowd rejoiced in unison.

  The faces of the pilots lit up from before.

  “Silence! Look at the screen in front of you,” the Colonel continued.

  Captain Huh Youn-jung operated the computer console connected to the screen. The 200-inch screen lit up, and a 3D image of a fighter jet that has never seen before began rotating. From the front and to the wing, the body was in swing-wing format, and the overall height of the jet was lower and flatter than the standard fighter jets. It also lacked an inlet for the turbofan from the standard fighter jet and looked sleek like a jet from an SF movie.

  “This jet is called KF-21P Phoenix. It will replace the KF-16 that is currently controlling the air. This is the first 100% Korean-made stealth fighter jet. (The FA-50 multipurpose fighter jet’s parent body T-50 was jointly developed by Korea’s KAI and Lockheed Martin, so the KF-21P Phoenix was the first Korean-made stealth fighter jet.) I would like to boldly claim it as the top of the line in stealth jets and is the most superior in the world compared to other jets.”


  That moment, some of the pilots were jubilant like preschool kids who just got a toy robot as a gift, while the other pilots appeared skeptical of the claim. Colonel Ryu Jae-shin read the minds of the pilots and spoke.

  “We have 12 single-seat training jets in the 99th Flight Training Wing.”


  That moment, a cheer from the room heated the briefing room, and Captain Choi Young-ho raised both his hands and cheered as well. The honor of piloting a fighter jet made solely with Korean technology for the nation was worth more than a promotion or financial reward.

  The pilots were well aware of the bleak outlook of Korea’s national security. The past projects related to fighter jets gave the nation no choice but to buy downgraded jets from Western nations. Thus, the fact that Korea has developed a next-generation fighter jet independently was something to celebrate.

  “Quiet! Silence! It’s too early to cheer at something like this,” the Colonel scolded the men.

  Colonel Ryu Jae-shin was pleased that the pilots were glad. He then began explaining the specifications of the KF-21P Phoenix using the laser pointer.

  Length: 16.5 m

  Width: 14.5 m

  Height: 4.2 m

  Dead load: 4,551 kg

  Maximum takeoff load: 80,000 kg

  Top speed: Mach 8.5

  Highspeed cruise: Mach 4.62

  Practical ceiling: 30km

  Maximum range: 10,000km

  Aviation electronics equipment: K-HOKULLA MCS 01 (Firearms monitor, Radar, Jamming and Anti-Jamming)

  Engine: K-PTZ-500 Engine x 2

  Weaponry:

  mm Laser Vulcan Beam

  S-AAM-50 Magpie Viper (Infrared) * 2(Short-range Air-to-Air Missile)

  S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake * 8(Mid-range Air-to-Air Missile)

  S-AAM-500 Cobra * 4(Long-range Air-to-Air Missile)

  S-AGM-100 Anaconda * 2(Air-to-Land Missile ) or S-ASM-100 Python * 2(Air-to-Sea Missile ) or K-PSB (Plasma Cluster bomb) * 2

  “When you read the specs, you will encounter new words that you have not seen in standard fighter jets. You will repeatedly hear about the details during the training exercise, so you will know more about them later.” The Colonel continued speaking about the specs of the fighter jet.

  When the Colonel pointed the laser pointer and drew a circle, Captain Huh Jeong-youn’s hands moved faster. The screen played a new video.

  “The official name of this jet is the KF/A-25P Black Phoenix,” the Colonel said.

  The new fighter jet began to be rendered in 3D as Colonel Ryu Jae-shin spoke. It showed various information related to the jet. It was similar to the standard KF-21P Phoenix but larger and was colored black, so it had a charismatic look to it.

  “KF/A-25P will replace the F-15K that acts as the fighter-bomber in Korea. We have four units for training,” continued Colonel Ryu.

  Length: 19.3 m

  Width: 11.2 m

  Height: 4.8 m

  Dead load: 4,551 kg

  Maximum takeoff load: 150,000 kg

  Top speed: Mach 12

  Highspeed cruise: Mach 7

  Practical ceiling: 45 km

  Maximum range: 15,000 km

  Aviation electronics equipment: K-HOKULLA MCS 01 (Firearms monitor, Radar, Jamming, and Anti-Jamming)

  Engine: K-PTZ-1000 Engine x 2

  Weaponry:

  mm Laser Vulcan Beam

  S-AAM-50 Magpie Viper (Infrared) * 2(Short-range Air-to-Air Missile)

  S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake * 8(Mid-range Air-to-Air Missile)

  S-AAM-500 Cobra * 4(Long-range Air-to-Air Missile)

  S-AGM-100 Anaconda * 12(Air-to-Land Missile ) or S-ASM-100 Python * 12(Air-to-Sea Missile ) or K-PSB (Plasma Cluster bomb) * 8 or K-PAB (Plasma Amplification bomb)*2 or S-AAM-200 Rattlesnake*8