According to a South Korean newspaper, North Korea has a special bombing range complete with mockups of South Korean F-15K Slam Eagle jets. Is this for its advanced fleet of MiGs? No, apparently the range is for its ancient An-2 biplanes.
Seoul-based Chosun Ilbo reported Thursday that outside North Korea's Sondok Military Airport, the Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force (KPAAF) has intricate grass cut-outs in the shape of various pieces of South Korean hardware, including their advanced F-15K jets purchased from the United States.
With the two militaries separated by only the few sparse miles of demilitarized zone, if the cold war on the Korean Peninsula ever went hot, the shooting could begin in mere moments. It makes sense that air forces would train to bomb the other side's planes while still on the ground, especially if they're costly, dangerous air superiority fighters like Slam Eagles.
However, what's curious is what aircraft the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is practicing these bombing runs with – it's not the MiG-29, of comparable design to the Slam Eagles, it's this ancient crop-duster:
Soviet airplane designer Oleg Antonov designed the An-2 in 1947 to serve as a Soviet Forest Ministry transport and spotter plane. Often described as “a tractor with wings,” the prop-driven biplane was already obsolete when it was built, but its hardy design and reliable performance…
