S. Korea, U.S. to begin joint Freedom Flag air drills this week

▲ This April 18, 2025, file photo, provided by the Air Force, shows South Korean and U.S. fighter jets flying in formation over an air base in the southwestern city of Gwangju during a media event for the semiannual Freedom Flag exercise. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

S Korea-US-joint drills

S. Korea, U.S. to begin joint Freedom Flag air drills this week

SEOUL, April 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will launch their large-scale air exercise this week, the South's Air Force said Thursday, in efforts to strengthen their interoperability and survivability in joint operations.

The semiannual drills will kick off at an air base in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Friday and run for two weeks, incorporating defensive counter air, air interdiction and close air support training programs, according to the armed service.

The South will mobilize an array of fighter jets, including the F-15K, KF-16 and F-35A, KA-1 light attack aircraft, transport planes such as the KC-330 as well as the E-737 Peace Eye. The U.S. Air Force's F-16 and RQ-4 Global Hawk as well as the U.S. Marines' F/A-18 and MQ-9 Reaper will join the drills.

This year's exercise will be led by the South Korean side as Seoul seeks to achieve the handover of wartime command from Washington by 2030 and will focus on verifying capabilities to conduct combined operations, the Air Force said.

The drills will also aim to verify and supplement integrated mission concepts of fourth- and fifth-generation fighter jets to factor in changes in modern warfare, it added.

Freedom Flag was launched in 2024 to replace regular large-scale air exercises between the allies -- Korea Flying Training in the first half of the year and Vigilant Defense in the second half.

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