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The drills are part of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises
that are designed to boost the joint readiness of the South
Korean and U.S. militaries against threats from North Korea, it
said.
Aircraft on defensive patrol flights are being diverted to air
combat scenarios under simulated drills involving mock enemy
aircraft interdiction and cruise missile defense, it said.
Aircraft from two U.S. fighter wings based in South Korea are
taking part, the air force said. The United States stations
28,500 troops in the South for combined defense against
nuclear-armed North Korea.
North Korea routinely denounces the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield
drills, which began on Monday and will run through to Aug. 29,
for stoking tensions on the Korean peninsula, calling them
rehearsals for a nuclear war.
While it is trying to modernize its air fleet, the North faces
challenges in introducing new aircraft and relies largely on
ageing and obsolete combat aircraft, even some old Soviet MiG
fighters that were introduced in the 1950s.
Pyongyang has ramped up its tactical warfare capabilities
involving short-range missiles and heavy artillery that are
aimed at striking the South, after having made dramatic advances
in longer-range ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
(Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Ed Davies)
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