South Korea's Air Force Launches Annual 'Soaring Eagle' Combat Exercise

SEOUL, June 12 (Yonhap) -- The Air Force on Friday kicked off a key regular aerial combat exercise aimed at enhancing its operational capability and assessing its combat readiness against various potential threats. The annual Soaring Eagle exercise will run for a week through next Friday, involving various air assets, such as the F-35A stealth fighters, the E-737 early warning and control aircraft, and the KC-330 tanker transport aircraft among others, according to the armed service. More than 210 personnel will take part in the exercise at an air base in Cheongju, about 110 kilometers south of Seoul. The latest drill focuses on enhancing response capability against enemy threats in the air and on the ground, while improving the ability to carry out integrated operations among various air assets, the Air Force said. Participants will conduct training to detect and intercept targets at long range, neutralize enemy forces by striking the source of attacks, and preemptively thwart enemy offensives before they are launched against friendly forces. The Air Force said it has invited 10 personnel from Saudi Arabia, Poland, Turkey, Britain and a few other countries to observe the exercise. Launched in 2008, Soaring Eagle is the largest standalone exercise conducted by the South Korean Air Force.