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| An F-35B stealth fighter capable of short take-offs and vertical landings / AP-Yonhap |
By Kang Seung-woo
Amid concerns that North Korea's seventh nuclear test might be imminent, South Korea and the United States are poised to stage a show of force through a large-scale combined air exercise that will feature some 250 aircraft, including the F-35A and F-35B stealth jets, according to the South Korean military, Tuesday.
According to the military, a flying training event will be conducted over South Korean airspace from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4, in which 140 of the South Korean Air Force's fighters, such as the F-35As, F-15Ks and KF-16s, will fly alongside 100 U.S. aircraft, such as the F-35Bs and F-16s.
The exercise ― formerly known as Vigilant Ace ― comes as North Korea is anticipated to conduct a seventh nuclear test between the end of the Chinese Communist Party's congress, Oct. 22, and the U.S. midterm elections, Nov. 8, according to the South Korean National Intelligence Service. In addition, the Kim Jong-un regime has staged a series of military provocations, such as missile tests and artillery firings near the border.
"The exercise has been carried out annually since 2015 to enhance interoperability between South Korean and U.S. air forces and increase the combat effectiveness of both nations," Air Force Col. Choi Youn-seok said during a press briefing at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul.
It would be the first time in nearly five years that the F-35B, stationed at Iwakuni, Japan, will be mobilized to the Korean Peninsula. The F-35B is a short takeoff and vertical landing variant of the F-35A stealth fighter. In July, the allies held another combined air exercise, but it involved only F-35As from the U.S. and South Korean air forces.
"North Korea has ramped up its provocations, with them becoming more frequent, the allies are poised to increase the intensity of the combined air exercise against the threats," said Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum.
Vigilant Ace had been mobilizing a large fleet of aircraft from the allies. When it was held in 2017, allies flew about 270 aircraft, including U.S. F-22s, F-35s, F-16s, F-15s, F-18s and EA-18Gs as well as South Korea's F-15Ks and F-4s.
However, the South Korean and U.S. governments decided to scale back the exercise in 2018 as part of efforts to engage North Korea diplomatically and it was canceled the following year. Pyongyang is critical of any combined exercises between Seoul and Washington, calling it a rehearsal for invasion.
The 2020 and 2021 editions respectively featured 150 and 200 aircraft, although the military did not make public the exact number of participating aircraft.
In that respect, Shin said that the exercise was "getting back on track under the Yoon administration."
"Under the Moon Jae-in administration, the military refrained from publicizing the details of the exercise or downsized it due to its peace efforts to engage North Korea," Shin said.
In fact, South Korea and the U.S. conducted the largest military drills in years in August during the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise that saw the return of field training drills in line with President Yoon's hopes to "normalize" the combined exercises.
In May, Yoon and his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, agreed to expand the scope and scale of combined military exercises and training on and around the peninsula, followed by nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan's joint drills with South Korean warships in September and October.
Meanwhile, Australia also plans to participate in the exercise by sending a refueling tanker, according to the military, a sign highlighting the three countries' shared values and cooperation in regional defense.
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