Breaking news
South Korea kicks off massive aerial military drill "Soaring Eagle".
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World
Defense & Security News - South Korea |
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| South Korea kicks off massive aerial military drill "Soaring Eagle" | |||
The
South Korean Air Force said Thursday it has started a large-scale aerial
exercise involving indigenous light attack fighter jets as part of efforts
to evaluate and improve its strategic and combat capabilities, reports
today South Korean newspaper The Korea Herald. The exercise "Soaring
Eagle" kicked off Monday for a two-week run at an air base in the
central city of Cheongju, 137 kilometers south of Seoul, according to
the Air Force.
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ROKAF's F-15K Slam Eagle fighter aircraft |
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The
biannual drill, which was inaugurated in 2008 with air-to-air and air-to-surface
operations across the country, "aims to boost our capabilities
of blocking enemies' surprise infiltration and destroying their key military
assets," the South Koreand Air Force said in a statement. "The exercise this time mobilizes some 40 planes of nine types equipped with the most-advanced weapons system, including F-15K and KF-16 fighters, as well as 320 service members," the Air Force said. "The list also involves two FA-50s for the first time." As a light attack variant of the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer, the FA-50 was co-developed by Korea Aerospace Industries and U.S. defense firm Lockheed Martin and was put into service in October last year. It is the most advanced variant of the T-50 family operated by the South Korean Air Force. The ROKAF currently has 60 F-15Ks and 180 F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft in different variants. |
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