The 24th “Ulchi Freedom Shield” exercise will involve 200 aircraft, including South Korea's F-15K, FA-50, KF-16 and the United States' F-16 and A-10, and is expected to fly more than 2,000 sorties around the clock.
This year's joint South Korea The annual U.S. “Ulchi Freedom Shield” exercise, which began on August 19, 2024, also created many “firsts”, the most notable of which was the first exercise to practice countermeasures in response to a nuclear strike by North Korea on South Korea.
An interesting feature is the practice of ACE (Agile Combat Employment) operations 8th and 51st Fighter Wings The exercise will involve U.S. and South Korean air forces, with South Korean reports saying the air combat units will conduct 2,000 sorties around the clock, the most ever.
More than 200 aircraft from South Korea and the United States will take part in the exercise. 8th Fighter Wing Stationed at Kunsan Air Force Base 51st Fighter Wing South Korea's air force at Osan Air Base announced it would join the exercise, saying it would incorporate regular wing readiness exercises into the Ulchi Freedom Shield 24 exercise. The South Korean Air Force will reportedly send the 11th, 16th and 20th Fighter Wings, which are equipped with F-15K, FA-50 and KF-16 fighter jets, to participate in the exercise.
Other goals include countering North Korean missile and cyber threats through 40 different field exercises, which will last until August 29. The exercises will also include an unspecified computer simulation component.
this Chosun Ilbo The report mentioned that “this year's exercise included for the first time the government's response training to a hypothetical North Korean nuclear attack.” It also added that “the primary focus of this year's exercise is to master specific response measures in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack.”
According to an automated translation of a video released by South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, the South Korean and U.S. air forces will conduct “five days and 120 hours of non-stop day and night flights” to carry out multi-domain missions. Liu Yingyuan TV StationThe aircraft will be Defensive air attack missionAs well as air interception, virtual simulated targets include cruise missiles and high-speed aircraft.
About 19,000 South Korean troops will take part in the drills, which will be held in conjunction with civil defence and evacuation drills and will “reflect realistic threats in all areas,” South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported. Deutsche Welle.
The U.S. has about 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea. UFS 24 also comes after the U.S. and its allies, including South Korea, Japan and Australia, concluded annual exercises. Pacific Dragon 24 The exercise also launched a ship-borne Standard Missile-series.
8th Fighter Wing
It is said to have begun integrating into UFS 24, the 8th Fighter Wing, also known as the “Wolf Pack,” and is equipped with F-16CM Block 40It will conduct local flights and ACE (Agile Combat Employment) operations at forward locations to enhance interoperability with mission partners in realistic combat scenarios. “These scenarios directly support the exercise’s focus of conducting multi-domain operations with component assets, with an emphasis on countering weapons of mass destruction,” the release added.
“The wolfpack has to be linked to the operational command level,” said Col. Peter Kassakis, commander of the 8th Fighter Wing. “These links don’t happen automatically, they have to be rehearsed. Exercises like Ulchi Freedom Shield provide us with a sandbox that allows us to continually improve.”
Additionally, the Wolf Pack is “testing its wing’s readiness, including its ability to support follow-on forces and defend bases from regional threats.” The commander further added, “Participating in these exercises will create a more combat-ready force that is better able to respond to any challenge in the Indo-Pacific.”
The 8th Fighter Wing also disclosed its ACE practice Beverley 24-1 The exercise took place from May 7 to 9, 2024, in which “67 Airmen were deployed to Gwangju Air Base” to “operate in unfamiliar locations at all times.” The press release added that “the exercise challenged the wing’s recovery, refueling and aircraft launch capabilities while improving Airmen’s knowledge and skills to effectively generate air power in the Indo-Pacific region.”
ACE essentially means operating from austere locations, airfields, and minimal support and technical infrastructure to disperse from large bases that could be subject to sudden enemy missile attack. Expert yes Dynamic Force Employment Bombers or fighters are able to mobilize forces quickly and can be operational and perform missions soon after arriving at the deployment location.
51st Fighter Wing
this 51st Fighter Wing Meanwhile, the U.S. 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base recently incorporated its regular wing readiness exercise into UFS 24 for the first time. Similar to the 8th Fighter Wing, the 51st Fighter Wing will also conduct local flying and ACE operations to not only enhance the readiness of the local wing, but also to enhance command and control training efforts for the U.S. Seventh Air Force and U.S. Forces Korea.
Wing Building, Seventh Air Force The news release said USFK will “participate in emergency response exercises, train mobilization and force deployment capabilities, while practicing protection and assurance of base operations.” But the highlight will be aircraft and personnel “mobilizing and operating out of partner bases in South Korea, further enhancing the wing's ability to conduct missions at any time in an unfamiliar environment.”
Korean report
Yu Yong-won TV Videos released at the same time South Korean Air Force The F-15Ks, FA-50s and KF-16s are maintained by ground crews and fly during the day and night. The video states that the ROK Air Force and the US Air Force will “fly 120 hours a day and night for five consecutive days to strengthen wartime combat capabilities” totaling “2,000 sorties, the most ever.” Interestingly, there is no mention of the participation of the ROK Air Force's F-35s.
The 200 fighter jets participating in the exercise included F-15Ks, FA-50s and KF-16s from the 11th, 16th and 20th Fighter Wings of the South Korean Air Force, F-16s and A-10s from the 51st Fighter Wing, and F-16s from the 8th Fighter Wing of the U.S. Air Force. The report said: “This is the first time that multiple squadrons of the South Korean and U.S. air forces have conducted 24-hour multi-domain mission combat flight training at the same time.”
Defensive Counter-Air (DCA) and other missions, Air Interception To ensure that there are no loopholes in the air defense posture during the day and at night, the tasks to be performed include air warning interception (AI) and air warning interception (X-INT). “The characteristic of this training is to maximize the responsiveness. If the aircraft conducting defensive counter-air training receives an order similar to the real situation, it will immediately switch to combat surveillance and execute it,” the report said.
This suggests that fighters will switch from one mission to another during the flight. “Dummy enemy formations will be deployed, high-speed aircraft infiltration and cruise missile launches will be simulated,” the report said, further adding that training for “air forces supporting air operations” will involve “large-scale ammunition assembly, maximum weapons loading and emergency return and re-takeoff.”
Parth Satam's career spans fifteen years, with stints at two daily newspapers and two defence publications. He believes that war, as a human endeavour, has causes and consequences far beyond the fastest missiles and jets. As such, he enjoys analysing the intersection of military affairs with foreign policy, economics, technology, society and history. His work covers defence aerospace, tactics, military doctrine and theory, personnel issues, West Asia, Eurasian affairs, the energy sector and space.
