South Korea's Air Force announced Thursday that South Korea and the United States will launch their large-scale Freedom Flag air exercise this week. The semiannual drills, starting Friday at an air base in Gwangju, aim to strengthen interoperability and survivability in joint operations. Led by Seoul this year, they focus on combined operations ahead of wartime command handover by 2030.
South Korea's Air Force said Thursday that South Korea and the United States will launch their large-scale Freedom Flag air exercise this week to strengthen interoperability and survivability in joint operations.
The semiannual drills kick off Friday at an air base in the southwestern city of Gwangju and run for two weeks. They incorporate defensive counter air, air interdiction, and close air support training.
South Korea will deploy F-15K, KF-16, and F-35A fighters, KA-1 light attack aircraft, KC-330 transports, and E-737 Peace Eye. The U.S. Air Force's F-16 and RQ-4 Global Hawk, plus U.S. Marines' F/A-18 and MQ-9 Reaper, will participate.
Led by the Korean side this year, the exercise verifies capabilities for combined operations as Seoul aims for wartime command handover from Washington by 2030. It also supplements integrated mission concepts for fourth- and fifth-generation fighters amid changes in modern warfare.
Freedom Flag, launched in 2024, replaces the allies' prior large-scale exercises: Korea Flying Training in the first half of the year and Vigilant Defense in the second half.
