Photo : YONHAP News
South Korea and the United States are conducting a large-scale joint air exercise that also involves the Australian Air Force and U.S. forces stationed in Japan.
South Korea’s Air Force said Thursday that the two-week Freedom Flag exercise started Monday and will run through November 1.
Freedom Flag will take place twice a year and integrate two earlier joint exercises, Korea Flying Training and Vigilant Defense.
It will involve some 110 air assets from South Korea and the U.S. forces stationed in South Korea and Japan.
The Royal Australian Air Force will contribute its KC-30A multi-role tanker transport.
Manned fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles will carry out missions together for the first time.
According to the Air Force, South Korea and the U.S. will improve operational capabilities with the combined operations of the aerial vehicles based on recent battlefield examples such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict.