A ship salvage unit of the South Korean Navy jumps into the winter sea during a drill off a naval base in Changwon, South Korea. File. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
April 9 (Asia Today) — South Korea and the United States began joint air and naval exercises this week, with the South Korean Air Force taking the lead in a major aerial drill tied to preparations for the eventual transfer of wartime operational control.
The Air Force said the first Freedom Flag exercise of 2026 will run from Friday through April 24 at Gwangju Air Base. The large-scale joint air drill is held twice a year to improve combined operational capability and survivability.
South Korea plans to deploy F-5E/F, F-15K, KF-16, F-16, FA-50, F-35A, KA-1, KC-330, C-130, CN-235 and E-737 aircraft. U.S. forces are to send F-16 and E-3G aircraft and RQ-4 drones, while the U.S. Marine Corps is to join with F/A-18 aircraft and MQ-9 drones.
The two air forces plan to operate mission-planning teams during the exercise to exchange tactics and refine wartime procedures. Live flight training is scheduled to begin Sunday and will include defensive counterair, airborne interdiction, air interdiction and close air support missions aimed at strengthening interoperability.
The Air Force said South Korea is leading the exercise as part of preparations for wartime operational control transition, with a focus on validating combined air operations and testing integrated missions involving fourth- and fifth-generation fighters.
Separately, the South Korean Navy has been conducting its annual SALVEX salvage and rescue exercise in waters off Jinhae since Sunday, with training set to continue through Thursday. The exercise is designed to improve rescue procedures and interoperability in diving and salvage equipment for emergencies at sea in both wartime and peacetime.
Participants include South Korea’s maritime rescue unit, the rescue ship ROKS Tongyeong and the U.S. Navy’s Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit. Australian Navy explosive ordnance disposal divers and personnel from the Korea Coast Guard joined the exercise for the first time this year, according to the report.
Divers from South Korea, the United States and Australia conducted underwater search and diving drills from the Tongyeong using surface-supplied diving systems near Jinhae Naval Base.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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