The South Korean and U.S. air forces will conduct the "26-1 Freedom Flag" exercise at Gwangju Air Base from March 10 to 24, the Republic of Korea Air Force announced Sunday.
Freedom Flag is a large-scale combined air exercise held twice a year, in the first and second halves of each year.
The exercise will mobilize a wide array of assets from both nations, including fighter jets, transport aircraft, aerial refueling tankers, airborne early warning and control aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Participating aircraft from the Korean Air Force include the F-5E/F, F-15K, KF-16, F-16, FA-50, F-35A, KA-1, KC-330 aerial refueling tanker, C-130, CN-235, and E-737 airborne early warning and control aircraft. The U.S. Air Force will deploy F-16s, E-3G airborne early warning and control aircraft, and RQ-4 reconnaissance drones, while the U.S. Marine Corps will contribute F/A-18 fighters and MQ-9 attack drones.
The combined air forces will conduct missions including defensive counter-air (DCA), airborne intercept (XINT), air interdiction (AI), and close air support (CAS) to enhance interoperability and verify their capability to execute combined wartime missions.
"This exercise will be led by the Korean Air Force in preparation for the wartime operational control transfer, with a focus on verifying combined operational capabilities," the Air Force said.
A military official said detailed verification of "the Korean Air Force's detection and defeat capabilities," one of the assessment tasks for the wartime operational control transfer, will also be conducted during the exercise.
Additionally, the two air forces plan to verify and refine integrated mission concepts for fourth- and fifth-generation fighters, reflecting changes in the operational environment.