JCS chief inspects aerial defense posture aboard KF-21 fighter jet

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung on Wednesday visited an Air Force unit and inspected the aerial defense posture while aboard the indigenous KF-21 fighter jet.

Jin visited the 16th Fighter Wing in Yecheon-gun, to inspect the defense posture and commanded a formation flight involving the KF-21 and FA-50 fighter jets, according to the JCS.

During a meeting with pilots, Jin urged airmen to maintain a posture and capability to deter the enemy through "overwhelming" air superiority and to immediately respond to contingencies.

The JCS chief also visited an Air Force unit tasked with reconnaissance of ballistic missile launches and inspected the operational readiness of the Korea Air and Missile Defense system, calling it a "core asset" of the country's three-axis deterrence system.

The KAMD is designed to detect and intercept incoming ballistic and other missiles in the early stages to minimize damage.

The other pillars of the three-axis system comprise the Kill Chain preemptive strike system and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation, an operational plan to incapacitate the North Korean leadership in a major conflict.

"This is the very unit that detects enemy missile provocations firsthand, marking the beginning of missile defense operations," Jin said, while ordering troops to maintain an early warning posture around the clock to detect any type of missile in a swift manner.