`Top Gun Selected
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
Captain Lee Woo-beom of the Air Force's 19th Fighter Wing based in North Chungcheong Province was selected as this year's ``Top Gun,'' the highest honor for combat pilots, the Air Force said Tuesday.
Lee, 29, a KF-16 fighter pilot, defeated others at an annual aerial competition involving air-to-air and air-to-ground tests from Oct. 17-26, it said in a news release.
The Boramae Aerial Marksmanship Contest, which began in 1960, evaluates combat pilots' performances such as bombing, reconnaissance, and airdrop and rescue operations.
This year, about 300 pilots from some 30 squadrons participated in team and individual competitions, Air Force officials said.
``I don't yet really feel that I've become a Top Gun pilot,'' Lee said at the award ceremony held at the Air Force headquarters in Daebang-dong, Seoul. ``I'll do my best not to disgrace this honorable award, and I will devote myself to becoming a true Top Gun pilot.''
Lee is the youngest pilot to win the Top Gun title, according to the officials.
Since 2004, Lee has flown 402 mission-hours in the KF-16. He previously flew F-5E/F fighters.
The Air Force also awarded four other pilots who won the individual contests in bombing, search and rescue, reconnaissance and aerial marking operations.