Media: S. Korea, US set to launch regular joint aerial exercise

South Korea and the United States will conduct a joint aerial exercise this week to strengthen operational interoperability, the South Korean military announced.

According to the Air Force, the Buddy Squadron drill will be held at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, roughly 65 kilometres south of Seoul, running from February 9 through February 13, Yonhap News Agency reports.

It will involve South Korea's KF-16 fighter jets and the US F-16 fighters, along with the F-35A fighter jet and the FA-50 light attack fighter, to be deployed for a combined operations training.

This year, the Air Force plans to more than double the participating forces per session and dramatically increase the sortie, or the number of deployments, while reducing the number of yearly training sessions to four from eight.

The Buddy Squadron exercise is a battalion-level drill conducted in turns between South Korean and US air forces, aimed at sharing air-to-air tactics and conducting integrated tactical training involving fourth- and fifth-generation fighter jets.

By Jeyhun Aghazada