[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Large-scale Joint Air Exercise Begins... North Korea Expected to React

130 US-ROK Air Power Aircraft Deployed for 24-Hour Flight
US Strategic Weapons May Be Deployed if North Korea Provokes with ICBMs

As South Korea and the United States begin large-scale joint air exercises from the 31st, North Korea's backlash is expected. Last year, North Korea responded to these exercises by launching six ballistic missiles, including one intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the military, this year's exercise is named 'Vigilant Defense,' with the main goal of assessing the operational capabilities of the 4.5-generation and 5-generation aircraft operated by South Korea and the U.S.

About 130 air force assets from both countries will participate in the exercise, which runs until the 3rd of next month. The training will include live-fire joint air-to-ground exercises. Additionally, the combined forces plan to review key air operation missions such as attack formations, defense provision, emergency air interdiction, and close air support during the exercise.

According to the Air Force, the exercise will involve South Korea's F-35A stealth fighters, E-737 airborne early warning and control aircraft, KC-330 transport aircraft, as well as U.S. military F-35A and F-35B fighters, FA-18 fighters, EA-18 electronic warfare aircraft, KC-135 aerial refueling tankers, and C-130 transport aircraft. For this exercise, U.S. F-35A fighters will deploy from the mainland, while FA-18, EA-18, F-35B, and C-130 aircraft will deploy from U.S. bases in Japan to the Korean Peninsula. Notably, the Royal Australian Air Force's multi-role aerial refueling tanker KC-30A will participate, conducting aerial refueling training alongside South Korean and U.S. fighters. The KC-30A is the same Airbus A-330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) model as South Korea's KC-330.

The Vigilant exercises conducted by the South Korea-U.S. Air Forces are considered representative joint exercises alongside the ROK-U.S. Marine Corps' 'Ssangryong Exercise' and the second half of the year’s ROK-U.S. combined exercise 'Ulchi Freedom Shield' (UFS). The use of the name 'Vigilant,' meaning 'not letting down one's guard,' began in 2015. It started as Vigilant ACE (Air Component Exercise) but disappeared during the Moon Jae-in administration. The exercise was revived under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration with the name Vigilant Storm.

A key feature of the Vigilant exercises is that training continues nonstop for 24 hours. The exercise control group commanding this year's training will operate 24/7 from the Korea Aerospace Operations Center (KAOC) located at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, throughout the exercise period.

In particular, strike training will be conducted focusing on 700 Joint Defense Point Intercepts (JDPI) set by South Korea and the U.S. In case of emergency, strikes will be carried out according to Pre-ATO (Pre-Air Tasking Order) assigned to each fighter. The JDPI includes key targets such as mobile launcher vehicles (TELs) for nuclear and missile threats and underground bunkers. The training also includes striking the Presidential Palace where Chairman Kim Jong-un resides, the Yongbyon nuclear facility, and the Sinpo shipyard where submarine forces are stationed, all within the shortest possible time. The aircraft and strike missiles used to hit these targets are determined by the KAOC within the Air Force Operations Command.

With North Korea's backlash anticipated, there is speculation that strategic bombers, considered key U.S. strategic assets, may be included. Last year, North Korea launched six ballistic missiles, including one ICBM, in response to the Vigilant exercises. In response, South Korea and the U.S. extended the Vigilant exercises by one day and deployed two B-1B strategic bombers to participate in the extended Vigilant Storm training.

The B-1B, counted among the U.S.'s three major strategic bombers along with the B-2 and B-52, does not have nuclear strike capability but carries about twice the armament of other strategic bombers. When forward-deployed to Guam, it can reach the Korean Peninsula within two hours, penetrate at low altitude over North Korea, and conduct large-scale bombing with conventional precision strike weapons.