Commanded by a rear admiral, Air Wing 6 is the naval aviation arm of the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN). The wing celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2017 and traces its roots back to the Fleet Aviation Unit established in July 1957. However, the ROKN's first foray into naval aviation began before this, in April 1951, when a crashed USAF AT-6G Texan was converted into a floatplane at Jinhae naval base. By July 1957, an ad hoc naval aviation unit had morphed into the formal Fleet Aviation Unit. Suspension of US logistics support for the largely locally built aircraft fleet led to disbandment of the unit on March 1, 1963 and naval aviation assets and personnel were transferred to the Republic of Korea Coast Guard. Aside from the naval aviation unit, the ROK Marine Corps (ROKMC) had its own small air element. Two years after the disbandment of the navy's aviation unit, the ROKMC, along with its air unit, would be deployed to Vietnam, serving there from late 1965 to 1971. The ROKMC aviation arm apparently also provided limited support to the ROK Navy during this period.
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