Advanced U. S. stealth fighters and strategic bombers linked up with Air Self-Defense Force aircraft in airspace near Okinawa Prefecture on Tuesday in some
Advanced U. S. stealth fighters and strategic bombers linked up with Air Self-Defense Force aircraft in airspace near Okinawa Prefecture on Tuesday in some of the largest joint exercises since North Korea’s test of a long-range missile late last month, the ASDF said.
The exercise, which comes after Pyongyang’s Nov. 29 test of an intercontinental ballistic missile that experts believe is capable of striking the United States’ East Coast, was seen as yet another move to heap pressure on the regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“The drill was meant to enhance joint operations abilities and raise combat skills,” the ASDF said in a statement.
Two U. S. B-1B heavy bombers from Andersen Air Force Base on the U. S. Pacific island territory of Guam joined six F-35 stealth fighters, four F/A-18 multirole combat jets and a tanker aircraft from U. S. bases in Japan for the exercise. The ASDF dispatched four F-15 fighters and a patrol aircraft.
Tuesday’s exercise was the latest military muscle-flexing by the allies that has included an exercise last week involving ASDF fighters and a B-1B bomber.
