South Korea, US kick off combined air drills this week

Seoul: South Korea and the United States kicked off their combined air drills this week, focusing on counter-air and air interdiction missions aimed at enhancing wartime joint operations, the South's Air Force said on Monday.

The Freedom Flag exercise began on Monday for a two-week run at Kunsan Air Base in Gunsan, about 180 kilometres southwest of Seoul, involving the allies' key aerial assets, including the South Korean Air Force's F-15K, KF-16 and F-35A fighter jets, the armed forces said in a release.

The KC-330 transport aircraft and E-737 Peace Eye early warning and control aircraft will also be deployed for the exercise, reports Yonhap news agency.

The US Air Force's F-16 Fighting Falcon jet, RC-135 reconnaissance plane and the Navy's MH-60S Seahawk helicopter, as well as the F-35B stealth fighter jet and the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned surveillance aircraft of the US Marine Corps will also participate in the drills.

The air forces will operate day and nighttime "mission planning cells" to exchange tactics and expertise, while refining wartime operational and mission execution procedures, the Air Force said.

The missions are designed to enhance interoperability and build wartime combined operational capabilities, such as defensive counter-air and air interdiction, it said.

Reflecting the changing modern warfare environment, the drills will also evaluate the planning and execution of South Korea-led combined exercises in line with the ongoing efforts for Seoul's retaking of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington, the Air Force noted.

South Korea seeks to retake wartime OPCON from the U.S. by 2030 or at an earlier date by verifying its capabilities to lead the combined forces.

The semiannual Freedom Flag drills were launched in 2024 to replace regular large-scale air exercises between the allies -- the Korea Flying Training in the first half of the year and Vigilant Defence in the second half.

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