Seoul: The South Korean and U.S. air forces are set to initiate a joint aerial exercise at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek this week. The exercise, known as the Buddy Squadron, will run from Monday through Friday and is intended to enhance interoperability between the two forces.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the exercise will feature South Korea's KF-16 and the U.S. F-16 fighter jets. Additionally, the F-35A fighter jet and the FA-50 light attack fighter will be deployed for combined operations training. This year, there are plans to more than double the participating forces per session and significantly increase the number of sorties, or deployments, while reducing the number of yearly training sessions from eight to four.
The Buddy Squadron exercise is a battalion-level drill conducted alternately by the South Korean and U.S. air forces. The focus is on sharing air-to-air tactics and conducting integrated tactical training involving both fourth- and fifth-generation fighter jets.