South Korea, US hold joint air drills involving F-22 fighter jet

Seoul: South Korea and the United States on Wednesday staged joint air drills involving some 30 aircraft, including the US F-22 Raptor, the Korean Air Force said, in an apparent show of air power against North Korean threats.

It marked the second exercise between the allies this year featuring the South Korean F-35A and US F-22, which are categorised as the latest fifth-generation fighters and considered one of the most powerful jets in the world due to their stealth capabilities and advanced aviation electronics, Yonhap news agency reported.

The drills, conducted over an eastern region in South Korea, centred on sharpening their air interdiction capabilities, which refers to preventive operations carried out to delay or disrupt enemy forces before they affect friendly forces, the Air Force said.

The exercise was conducted as part of the five-day Buddy Squadron exercise that kicked off on Monday. It marked the first time the F-22 participated in the squadron-level exercise first held in 1997, it added.

Wednesday's exercise was held in the wake of persistent North Korean military threats this week, such as back-to-back launches of trash-carrying balloons and a failed ballistic missile test, possibly involving a hypersonic missile.