The North Korean Air Force had acquired a considerable number of Yak-9 and La-7 fighters from the Soviet Union, dwarfing the ROKAF in terms of size and strength.

The first combat aircraft received was North American F-51D Mustangs, along with a contingent of US Air Force instructor pilots under the command of Major Dean Hess, as part of Bout One Project.

The South Korean government increased its expenditure on the ROKAF, resulting in the purchase of Northrop F-5E Tiger II fighters in August 1974 and F-4E fighter-bombers.

When the 1988 Seoul Olympics was held in South Korea, the ROKAF contributed to the success of this event by helping to oversee the entire security system.

On 20 October 2009, Bruce S. Lemkin, deputy undersecretary of the U.S. Air Force, said that the ROKAF's limited intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities increased the risk of instability on the Korean Peninsula and suggested the purchase of American systems such as the F-35 Lightning II to close this gap.

[6] The South Korean Air Force also expressed interest in acquiring the RQ-4 Global Hawk remotely piloted vehicle (RPV) and several Joint Direct Attack Munition conversion kits to further improve its intelligence and offensive capabilities.

[8] On 22 October 2023, the ROKAF conducted its first-ever trilateral exercise with the United States and Japanese air forces near the Korean Peninsula.

Korean Air's Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD) unveiled its MALE UAV in 2019 with LIG Nex1 SAR and Hanwha EO/IR sensors, aimed for serial production in 2021.

The new project has been nicknamed the K-THAAD due to its planned long range of 25 to 93 miles and its ability to hit targets as high as 200,000 feet.

[22] Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has disclosed detailed plans, outlining the purchase of four aircraft from overseas, with the entire project costing 480 billion won (US$37 million).

[23] Throughout March and April 2023, ROKAF, DAPA, and KIDA (the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis) conducted an assessment of manufacturers, including Airbus, Embraer, Lockheed Martin, as part of the procurement evaluation.

[24] The three manufacturers submitted the Airbus A400M Atlas, Embraer C-390 Millennium, and Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules for consideration in the second project.

[24] In December 2023, DAPA selected the Embraer C-390 Millennium as the winner of the Large Transport Aircraft (LTA) II tender, and planning to introduce three units by 2026.

Foreign-manufactured radars (Lockheed Martin TPS-77) currently in use to monitor Kadiz will be phased out and replaced with new domestic equipment starting in 2027, according to the agency.