F-16 fighter jets from the United States Air Force (USAF) and South Korea (ROKAF) carried out a new cycle of bilateral training at Osan Air Base, within the framework of the activity called Buddy Squadron 26-2. The exercise took place between February 9 and 13 and was focused on air defense missions, with special emphasis on Defensive Counter Air tactics, or DCA by its acronym in English. However, the activities did not escape China’s watchful eye.
The activity, which included an unidentified number of F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters, brought together crews from the USAF’s 35th Fighter Wing, based in Osan, and the ROKAF’s 111th Fighter Wing, coming from Kunsan Air Base. As part of these actions, during the week both units conducted joint mission planning and combined sorties aimed at refining tactical procedures. “Our objective with this training is to improve the joint tactical capability between the forces of the Republic of Korea and the U.S. By conducting defensive counter-air missions together, we strengthen our ability to operate as a single team against potential threats,” highlighted ROKAF Captain Jaeho Kang, a KF-16 pilot from the 111th FS.
Integrated air defense training
As usual, the main focus of the exercise was the execution of air defense missions aimed at detecting, identifying, and neutralizing simulated aerial threats, including hostile aircraft and cruise missiles. For this purpose, an identified number of U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons and ten South Korean KF-16s operated in integrated formations, coordinating communications, target assignment, and interception tactics in high-demand scenarios. In addition, this type of training allows interoperability to be fine-tuned in an environment where real-time coordination is critical.
A demanding regional environment
The exercise took place in a particularly sensitive security context on the Korean Peninsula. On the one hand, North Korea has continued developing and testing ballistic and cruise missile systems, while the regional environment is also influenced by growing competition in Northeast Asia. Meanwhile, China has further increased its military activity around the region as a political message of its presence and military capabilities.
Nevertheless, the Buddy Squadron exercise did not go unnoticed. According to various reports from local media, the USAF and ROKAF training activities, which reportedly operated between the Air Defense Identification Zones (ADIZ) of South Korea and China over the Yellow Sea, drew the attention of the Asian giant. Following this event, an unspecified number of aircraft from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) were reportedly deployed to respond to the incident over the Yellow Sea.
Analysts mention that it is unusual for U.S. and South Korean Air Force military assets to be deployed near the ADIZ, and therefore various interpretations suggest that the exercise may have been intended to send a signal of deterrence to China.
In this scenario, operations and exercises between the Asian countries and the United States acquire central relevance. As is usual in this type of training, the aim is to ensure control of the airspace, protect critical infrastructure, and neutralize threats before they can reach strategic objectives. Programs such as Buddy Squadron constitute a recurring mechanism of cooperation between the USAF and the ROKAF, especially considering that Washington has focused its attention on the Indo-Pacific, with particular emphasis on its struggle against China and its allies.
You may also like: The KF-21 fighter’s new AESA radar for the South Korean Air Force enters its final phase of testing and evaluation
