S. Korea, U.S. to begin joint Freedom Flag air drills this week | Yonhap News Agency

## Summary
OK SEOUL, April 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will launch their large-scale air exercise this week, the South's Air Force said Thursday, in efforts to strengthen their interoperability and survivability in joint operations. This April 18, 2025, file photo, provided by the Air Force, shows South Korean and U.S. fighter jets flying in formation over an air base in the southwestern city of Gwangju during a media event for the semiannual Freedom Flag exercise. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) mlee@yna.co.kr (END) Related Articles Army chiefs of S. Korean threats Keywords #joint drills #Freedom Flag Articles with issue keywords Most Liked (LEAD) BTS tops Billboard albums chart for 2nd week with 'Arirang,' a first in K-pop BTS to drop 'Come Over,' exclusive new track on 'Arirang' LP 'Beef' Season 2 deepens Korean narrative, casts A-listers Youn Yuh-jung, Song Kang-ho BTS tops Spotify weekly charts for 2nd week with new album 'Arirang' Lee voices hope for peace in Easter message Most Saved 'Beef' Season 2 deepens Korean narrative, casts A-listers Youn Yuh-jung, Song Kang-ho (3rd LD) Lee says S. Korea, U.S. to begin joint Freedom Flag air drills this week Next S.

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SEOUL, April 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will launch their large-scale air exercise this week, the South's Air Force said Thursday, in efforts to strengthen their interoperability and survivability in joint operations.
The semiannual drills will kick off at an air base in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Friday and run for two weeks, incorporating defensive counter air, air interdiction and close air support training programs, according to the armed service.
The South will mobilize an array of fighter jets, including the F-15K, KF-16 and F-35A, KA-1 light attack aircraft, transport planes such as the KC-330 as well as the E-737 Peace Eye. The U.S. Air Force's F-16 and RQ-4 Global Hawk as well as the U.S. Marines' F/A-18 and MQ-9 Reaper will join the drills.
This year's exercise will be led by the South Korean side as Seoul seeks to achieve the handover of wartime command from Washington by 2030 and will focus on verifying capabilities to conduct combined operations, the Air Force said.
The drills will also aim to verify and supplement integrated mission concepts of fourth- and fifth-generation fighter jets to factor in changes in modern warfare, it added.
Freedom Flag was launched in 2024 to replace regular large-scale air exercises between the allies -- Korea Flying Training in the first half of the year and Vigilant Defense in the second half.
This April 18, 2025, file photo, provided by the Air Force, shows South Korean and U.S. fighter jets flying in formation over an air base in the southwestern city of Gwangju during a media event for the semiannual Freedom Flag exercise. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
mlee@yna.co.kr
(END)
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S. Korea, U.S. to begin joint Freedom Flag air drills this week

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- Korea, U.S. discuss joint drills, military innovation S.

### Areas for Consideration
- Korean threats Keywords #joint drills #Freedom Flag Articles with issue keywords Most Liked (LEAD) BTS tops Billboard albums chart for 2nd week with 'Arirang,' a first in K-pop BTS to drop 'Come Over,' exclusive new track on 'Arirang' LP 'Beef' Season 2 deepens Korean narrative, casts A-listers Youn Yuh-jung, Song Kang-ho BTS tops Spotify weekly charts for 2nd week with new album 'Arirang' Lee voices hope for peace in Easter message Most Saved 'Beef' Season 2 deepens Korean narrative, casts A-listers Youn Yuh-jung, Song Kang-ho (3rd LD) Lee says S.

### Implications
- OK SEOUL, April 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States will launch their large-scale air exercise this week, the South's Air Force said Thursday, in efforts to strengthen their interoperability and survivability in joint operations.
- The semiannual drills will kick off at an air base in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Friday and run for two weeks, incorporating defensive counter air, air interdiction and close air support training programs, according to the armed service.
- The South will mobilize an array of fighter jets, including the F-15K, KF-16 and F-35A, KA-1 light attack aircraft, transport planes such as the KC-330 as well as the E-737 Peace Eye.
- Marines' F/A-18 and MQ-9 Reaper will join the drills.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers korea, air, drills topics. Notable strengths include discussion of korea. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 590.