S. Korea, US conduct joint helicopter attack drill

South Korea and the United States on Wednesday conducted a joint helicopter attack exercise in an effort to test their combat readiness to counter North Korean provocations, the military said Wednesday.

The joint drill mobilized the allies' military assets including the South Korean Army's Cobra (AH-1S) helicopters and Apache helicopters used by the U.S. Army's 2nd Infantry Division.

"The two nations were able to identify their ability to work closely together," the South's Army said. "The drill served as an occasion to prove that the allies' military air assets have a high degree of flight and firing capacity."

The exercise was carried out under a theoretical situation in which the allies' helicopters are deployed to deter the movement of North Korean armored vehicles. The choppers used various weapons like rockets during the drill.

South Korea, meanwhile, recently brought in four of the latest upgraded U.S.-made Apache helicopters in a bid to enhance its combat capability against possible North Korean aggression.

About 28,500 U.S. soldiers are stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War which ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. (Yonhap)