US Sending F-22 Fighter Jets To South Korea For Joint Military Drill

The U.S. will send six F-22 Raptor fighters to South Korea to hold a joint drill next month in a show of force against North Korea.

South Korea’s Yonhap News quoted military officials saying the exercise is being held from Dec. 4-8 and is called Vigilant Ace. "Six F-22 fighters from the U.S. Air Force are scheduled to join the joint South Korea-U.S. air force exercise Vigilant Ace from Dec. 4-8," the officials said.

According to the report, the planes are to fly to the Korean Peninsula from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan and are expected to stay at an unnamed airbase throughout the duration of the exercise. As many as four F-35A Lightning stealth fighters are also likely to join the drill, Reuters reported, citing a U.S. Air Force official.

South Korean media stated that this marks the first time that the U.S. has deployed six F-22 Raptor fighters at the same time on the Korean peninsula. Earlier this month, three U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carriers were deployed near North Korean waters for the first time in a decade earlier this month.

Reuters stated that the Vigilant Ace drill is regularly held by the U.S. and South Korea to simulate wartime defenses. U.S. Seventh Air Force said in a news statement reported by news networks that around 12,000 U.S. personnel would participate with South Korean troops while 230 aircraft will be flown at eight U.S. and South Korean military installations.

Navy troops and U.S. Marine Corps are also expected to take part in the exercise.

“This realistic combat exercise is designed to enhance interoperability between U.S. and Republic of Korea forces and increase the combat effectiveness of both nations,” the statement said.

The Indian Express noted that the deployment of six fighters was the part of an agreement signed between Washington and Seoul. The exercises aimed at expanding “rotational deployment” of US strategic assets on the Korean peninsula and pressuring North Korea to cease its nuclear program.

In the Vigilant Ace drill last year, Air Force magazine reported that more than 16,000 servicemen took part in the annual event. More than 200 US aircraft, including, F-16 Fighting Falcons, A-10 Thunderbolts II, EA-18G Growlers, F/A-18D Hornets, C-130 Hercules’, KC-135 Stratotankers and an E-3B Airborne Warning and Control System were also involved.

“Vigilant Ace is part of a continuous exercise program designed to enhance the readiness of US and ROK [Republic of Korea] forces,” a Pacific Air Forces spokesman told Air Force Magazine in 2016.

This year, the deployment of F-22, which is capable of executing precision attacks and is regarded as a top-range fighter aircraft, will reportedly enable the U.S. Air Force to practice “enemy infiltration” and engage in “precision strike drills” with their South Korean counterparts.

The exercises come amid increasing tensions in the Korean peninsula with North Korea’s frequent nuclear and missile tests. President Donald Trump’s aggressive rhetoric against the country has also raised fears of an imminent nuclear war between both the countries.

According to an article in The Hill, the combined U.S.-South Korea plan in the case of a preemptive strike would involve the use of land forces, aircraft, and American sea-launched missiles.