South Korea, US conduct air defence drills

South Korea and the US have conducted joint air drills in the Korean peninsula amid heightened tensions with Pyongyang, authorities said here on Saturday.

The military exercise was carried out on an unspecified date and involved the units of several regiments of the two countries, according to the Seoul-based US Pacific Command.

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“The field exercise allowed the South Korean and US troops to gain familiarity with each other’s weapon systems and capabilities, with an end goal of building an enduring partnership between the two units,” it said.

This the first time the allies conducted short range air defence training on the Korean Peninsula, aimed at “de-conflicting engagements of enemy aircraft based on sector of fire, and utilizing secondary means of targeting enemy aircraft when their primary weapon system becomes combat ineffective”, Efe news quoted the Command as saying.