S. Korea, U.S. begin joint air drills featuring F/A-18, F-35B

SEOUL, July 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States began a combined air exercise Tuesday, the Air Force said, in efforts to strengthen joint combat capabilities against North Korea's evolving threats.

The exercise will run through Aug. 8 at an air base in Suwon, south of Seoul, and feature the U.S. Marine Corps' F/A-18C/D and F-35B fighters as well as South Korea's F-16, FA-50, KA-1 and F-15K aircraft, according to the Air Force.

The joint air drills will include training on base fighter maneuvers, close air support, air interdiction and defense counter air, meant to enhance the allies' interoperability of different types of aircraft, it added.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said that the F/A-18 Hornet aircraft and the Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron, dubbed the Fighting Bengals, arrived at Suwon Air Base to "enhance their standard of readiness and lethality with our South Korean allies and joint forces."

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