▲ This undated file photo shows a P-3CK maritime patrol aircraft of the South Korean Navy. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- The Navy said Thursday it plans to begin test flights of the P-3CK patrol aircraft next month, as it seeks to gradually resume operations of the military plane that had been grounded following last year's fatal crash.

The test flights, set to start Sept. 1, come after thorough technical evaluations across the P-3 fleet, including airframe assessments by the U.S. Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey and maintenance contractors that have confirmed no defects, the Navy said.

The Navy has taken gradual steps to resume the operations of the entire P-3 fleet, including eight P-3Cs and seven P-3CKs, after they were grounded upon a May 2025 crash involving a P-3CK in Pohang, about 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

All four Navy officers aboard the aircraft were killed but there were no civilian casualties.

Two months after the crash, the Navy resumed test flights for the P-3C planes.

The Navy said it plans to resume P-3CK patrol missions once flight safety is confirmed through an evaluation of the upcoming test and training flights.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]