S. Korea, US forces conduct joint pilot-rescue drill

The air forces of South Korea and the US are conducting a two-week joint military drill to hone their skills on rescuing downed pilots in enemy territory, the military said on Tuesday.

The biannual drill comes amid growing threats from North Korea. In his New Year's address, leader Kim Jong-un said the North had entered the final stage of preparations to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach the US mainland, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Some 130 Korean air personnel and 250 of their US counterparts are participating in the Pacific Thunder exercise aimed at rescuing pilots downed in enemy territory during a mission, the South Korean Air Force said in a statement.

The exercise kicked off in a mountainous area in Gangwon province, about 200 km east of Seoul, on Monday and will continue until February 3.

Seoul has allocated 10 military aircraft including the HH-32, HH-47, HH-60 combat search and rescue choppers and KF-16 jets for the exercise, while 30 US military aircraft including the HH-60, A-10 and KC-135 aerial tanker are taking part in the drill, he said.

The South Korean Air Force joined the annual Pacific Thunder drill in 2010 two years after it was launched by the US Air Force. The two countries agreed to hold the drill twice a year from 2015.

--IANS

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