6 US F-22 Raptor stealth fighters arrive in South Korea for drills

On December 2, US F-22 Raptor stealth fighters arrived in South Korea to participate in joint military exercises taking place next week.

US F-22 Raptor stealth fighter. (Source: US Air Force)

According to a VNA reporter in Seoul, the South Korean Air Force said that these six fighter jets will participate in the annual air exercise called "Vigilant Ace" taking place from December 4-8, with the participation of 230 aircraft and at eight military facilities of South Korea and the US.

These aircraft are capable of accurately attacking targets without being detected by enemy radar. This will be the first time that six F-22 stealth fighters have appeared simultaneously in the skies over South Korea.

The US will also deploy F-35A and F-35B stealth aircraft, F-16C fighters and other aircraft, including an unspecified number of B-1B bombers.

The South Korean Air Force will dispatch F-15K, KF-16 and F-15 fighters and other aircraft to participate in the exercise.

The South Korea-US alliance plans to conduct simulated strikes on North Korea's nuclear and missile targets, as well as transporter erector launchers (TELs) used to carry North Korean missiles.

The exercise took place amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula after North Korea officially announced on the morning of November 29 that it had successfully tested a new Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile, "with a range that covers the entire US mainland."

The statement said the Hwasong-15 missile was North Korea's most powerful ever, flying 950km in 53 minutes and reaching an altitude of 4,475km.

However, experts say Pyongyang has yet to perfect the technique of re-entering the atmosphere, a key element in its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) development program.

Last October, the United States and South Korea agreed to rotate deployments of US strategic weapons to counter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

Pyongyang has long considered Seoul and Washington's military exercises a rehearsal for invasion, while the two countries claim the moves are purely defensive./.

According to Vietnam+