Aerial combat photographer captures Black Eagles' first Middle Eastern air show appearance

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Aerial combat photographer captures Black Eagles' first Middle Eastern air show appearance

Published: 16 Feb. 2026, 14:42 Updated: 16 Feb. 2026, 14:47

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Master Sgt. Wi In-tae of the Korean Air Force’s 53rd special flying squadron takes photographs of the Black Eagles' aerial performance from the rear seat of one of the team's T-50B aircraft at the World Defense Show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 9. [REPUBLIC OF KOREA AIR FORCE]

Eight black jets streaked above Riyadh's convention center on Feb. 9, their white tails slicing through the blue sky as they flew in tight formation.

It was the opening act of the Republic of Korea Air Force's Black Eagles aerobatic team at the 2026 World Defense Show in Saudi Arabia — its first appearance at a Middle Eastern air show.

For 30 minutes, the T-50B trainer jets traced intricate patterns overhead, forming five-petaled shapes inspired by Korea’s national flower to the strains of “Arirang” before plunging in a cascading rainfall maneuver that drew gasps from the crowd below.

As the spectacle continued, one man captured the performance with his camera from the sky.

Master Sgt. Wi In-tae was seated in the rear cockpit of aircraft No. 8. Armed with his Nikon Z8 camera, he captured the Black Eagles’ formations as they rolled and dove around him.

Wi is one of just eight “aerial combat photographers,” or specialists tasked with documenting the Air Force’s history from inside the cockpit. To earn the position, he had to undergo the same adaptation training as fighter pilots do.

“Looking back, there hasn’t been a single easy mission,” Wi said in a recent interview with the JoongAng Ilbo. “The moments when I’m able to hold the camera and press the shutter are only possible because of the pilots, mechanics and my other comrades who quietly fulfill their roles behind the scenes.”

Wi has served on the Air Force’s aerial photography team since July 2019. Before that, he worked in public affairs at the 17th Fighter Wing. He applied for the position, he said, out of a simple desire to fly.

But realizing that dream proved to be harder than he expected.

“Some days, I felt nauseous by just boarding the aircraft,” he said. “Other times, we were forced to wait around for days because of the weather, then jump straight into a mission.”

Wi, who was too afraid as a child to ride roller coasters, said the greatest obstacle in his career was motion sickness. “At first, I was so nervous that I couldn’t even eat before a mission,” he recalled.

A rebuke from a colleague changed him.

“A senior photographer once told me, ‘Are you going to make your junior colleague starve too? You have to adapt.’ That woke me up,” Wi said.

He said he finds that his dizziness and fear “disappear when [he] concentrates only on the viewfinder.”

He noted with pride that each frame he captures “isn't just a record.”

“It becomes part of the history of the Republic of Korea Air Force,” he said. “That sense of responsibility keeps me steady.”

Certain flights stand out in his memory, such as when he photographed the maiden flight of the KF-21, South Korea's next-generation fighter jet, in 2022. He had to capture the exact instant the aircraft accelerated down the runway and lifted into the air for the first time.

“It required meticulous coordination with the pilot and advice from senior team members,” he said. “It was teamwork that made that shot possible.”

The Korean Air Force's Black Eagles aerobatic team performs maneuvers during the World Defense Show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 9. [KOREA DEFENSE INDUSTRY PROMOTION ASSOCIATION]

He also remembers flying escort missions during the repatriation of the remains of 1950-53 Korean War soldiers in 2020 and the return of the remains of independence hero Gen. Hong Beom-do in 2021 — moments heavy with national significance. For such contributions, his team was recently recognized as one of the Air Force’s distinguished units of the year.

However, not all missions are ceremonial.

In 2021, during Operation Miracle — the evacuation of Afghan nationals who had assisted South Korea after the U.S. withdrawal — Wi was in the cockpit as the aircraft approached Kabul airport.

“During landing, the ‘lock-on’ warning kept sounding,” he said, referring to the alert indicating that a missile system had targeted the aircraft. “It meant we could actually be shot down. We had to land and take off again in the shortest amount of time possible. It was an urgent situation.”

The risks, he said, are part of a life lived always at the ready. During joint exercises or periods of heightened tension with North Korea, he enters what he calls “five-minute standby mode.” Even on weekends and holidays, he and his colleagues share their locations and remain ready to be deployed.

That often means time away from his family. This Lunar New Year holiday, like many others, he is overseas.

“I always feel sorry for my family,” Wi said. “But someday, if my child looks at the aerial missions I recorded and says, ‘Dad was there,’ that will be enough for me.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIM SEOK-YONG [[email protected]]