S. Korea-US air forces conduct drill with fully armed fighters

The South Korean and U.S. air forces said Sunday that they have conducted their first joint drill in which fighter planes make sorties carrying as many weapons and equipment as possible as if a real wartime situation.

The drill was to practice arming themselves and prepare for making a sortie in the shortest time possible to remove key enemy targets in case of an all-out invasion of South Korea by the North or provocations escalating into war.

According to the South Koran Air Force, the drill was conducted at an airbase in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, and participated in by 10 South Korean KF-10 fighters, 50 U.S. F-16 fighters, and more than 400 pilots and maintenance staff.

South Korea and the U.S. have regularly carried out air warfare and bombing drills, but this was the first large-scale joint exercise in which fighters were fully armed and moved to an airstrip to make sorties.

The U.S. Air Force had conducted the drill alone under the name “Elephant Walk,” but Washington and Seoul decided to do it together, according to the South Koran Air Force.

The joint exercise began with an order to attack major enemy targets. Maintenance staff loaded weapons such as AIM-120 air-to-air missiles and MK-82 air-to-ground bombs onto fighters on standby. Pilots boarded the fighters in an orderly manner to move to an airstrip and complete preparations for making a sortie.

Maj. Oh Chung-won, in charge of operations at the South Korean Air Force, said, “The drill was very helpful in establishing speedy and effective Korea-U.S. air capabilities in wartime,” adding, “We will further boost our combined combat power by resolving shortcomings identified by the drill."

ysh1005@donga.com