The U.S. will send six F-22 Raptor fighters to South Korea to hold a joint drill next month in a show of force against North Korea.
South Korea’s Yonhap News quoted military officials saying the exercise is being held from Dec. 4-8 and is called Vigilant Ace. “Six F-22 fighters from the U.S. Air Force are scheduled to join the joint South Korea-U.S. air force exercise Vigilant Ace from Dec. 4-8,” the officials said.
According to the report, the planes are to fly to the Korean Peninsula from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan and are expected to stay at an unnamed airbase throughout the duration of the exercise. As many as four F-35A Lightning stealth fighters are also likely to join the drill, Reuters reported, citing a U.S. Air Force official.
South Korean media stated that this marks the first time that the U.S. has deployed six F-22 Raptor fighters at the same time on the Korean peninsula. Earlier this month, three U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carriers were deployed near North Korean waters for the first time in a decade earlier this month.
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