S. Korea, US to launch joint air drills using F-35B stealth jets this month

South Korea and the United States will kick off large-scale air drills involving US F-35B stealth jets later this month, Seoul officials said Tuesday, as they seek to sharpen their deterrence against potential North Korean provocations.

The drills are set to take place over South Korean airspace from Oct. 31-Nov. 4, with the South Korean Air Force set to mobilize some 140 warplanes, including F-35A, F-15 and KF-16 fighters.

The US military plans to deploy around 100 aircraft, including F-35B stealth fighters from an American base in Japan, according to officials.

The drills were planned amid worries that Pyongyang could set off provocations, like a nuclear test, between the conclusion of the Chinese Communist Party's major congress late this month and the US midterm elections on Nov. 8.

"The planned training is aimed at verifying the systems of wartime combined air operations between the South Korean and US air forces, and enhancing their combat readiness posture," an official said on condition of anonymity.

The planned deployment of the F-35B jets comes as Presidents Yoon Suk-yeol and Joe Biden agreed on the deployment of US strategic assets in a "timely and coordinated manner as necessary" during their summit in Seoul in May.

The allied drills appear akin to the Vigilant Ace exercise that was suspended in 2018 amid the then Moon Jae-in administration's drive for inter-Korean reconciliation, observers said.

Australia is also scheduled to join the training with the deployment of a refueling tanker, the officials said, in what appears to be a move to highlight the three countries' unity for regional peace. (Yonhap)