S. Korea and U.S. Launch Freedom Flag Air Exercise with Australian Participation

Seoul: South Korea and the United States commenced a large-scale joint air exercise, named Freedom Flag, earlier this week as part of their efforts to enhance preparedness against potential threats from North Korea. The 12-day exercise, which began on Monday, involves approximately 110 aircraft, including South Korea's F-35A stealth fighters and F-15Ks, as well as U.S. F-35Bs, F-16s, and MQ-9 drones. According to Yonhap News Agency, the exercise is being conducted across various air bases in South Korea. It marks the first participation of the Royal Australian Air Force, which is contributing a KC-30A multi-role tanker transport aircraft. This week, the focus of the exercise is on aircraft deployment and tactics planning. Next week's agenda will involve flight drills, covering defensive counter air maneuvers and close air support. The Freedom Flag exercise includes, for the first time, a joint flight operation between fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles. This addition aims to simulate real combat scen arios, drawing inspiration from conflicts such as the ongoing war in Ukraine. The Australian tanker will also engage in aerial refueling exercises with a South Korean F-35A fighter, another first for the participating forces. Freedom Flag replaces the previous regular large-scale air exercises between South Korea and the United States, namely Korea Flying Training and Vigilant Defense, which were traditionally conducted in the first and second halves of the year, respectively.