Summary

  • South Korea conducts air drills with F-35As
  • South Korea prepared for N Korean ICBM launches
  • North Korea suspected to launch second spy satellite

South Korea is holding military exercises with its most capable F-35A stealth fighters as well as other fighter aircraft ahead of a planned North Korean spy satellite launch. It is also suspected that North Korea may launch ICBMs alongside the reconnaissance satellite. Reactive exercises and harsh criticism between the two rival Koreas are a common (seemingly daily) occurrence. But it wasn’t always this way. It can be hard to imagine now, but in 1979, the North Koreans once signed a preliminary purchase agreement for the iconic Anglo-French Concorde.

S Korea drills with F-35As ahead of N Korea satellite launch

South Korea has reportedly conducted air drills with its modern F-35A 5th-generation fighter jets in response to an upcoming North Korean spy satellite launch. The launch will be in violation of sanctions and UN Security Council resolutions. The drills held were to showcase South Korea’s heightened military readiness. The South Koreans also stated they were prepared for other provocations like the North Koreans firing intercontinental ballistic missiles.

A Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II in the sky causing a sonic boom.

Photo: Logtnest | Shutterstock

“North Korea has told international organizations of its plans to launch a so-called military reconnaissance satellite on this day. As this is an act of provocation that violates UN Security Council resolutions, our military will take steps to demonstrate our capabilities.” – Col. Lee Sung-jun, South Korean JCS spokesperson (The Korean Herald)

The Korean Herald reported that the air exercises were held near the inter-Korean border. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that the drills involved 20 fighter jets, including KF-16s and F-15Ks in addition to the F-35As. While South Korea operates a modern air force with 5th-gen F-35As and an assortment of American and Korean-origin 4th-gen fighters, North Korea’s air force resembles a flying museum of hopelessly antiquated aircraft.

Related

Joint Strike Fighter: 5 Fast Facts About The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

As of the beginning of this year, over 1,000 examples of the fighter jet have been manufactured.

North Korea’s second attempted spy satellite

On May 24, Reuters reported that South Korea’s military had detected signs of possible North Korean preparations for a military spy satellite launch. This would be the heavily sanctioned hermit country’s second effort to place a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit. The activities were spotted at North Korea’s main space flight center at Dongchang-ri in the country’s northwestern part.

Almost any action North Korea takes is closely watched by South Korea and the United States. North Korea launched its first spy satellite last year and has since claimed to have taken pictures of the White House and Pentagon (although it has not provided proof).

F-35

Photo: Michael Fitzsimmons | Shutterstock

For its part, South Korea launched its own second homegrown spy satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in Florida in April (the first satellite was launched from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base in December). Reuters reported in April 2024 that South Korea was in a spy satellite “race” with the North. South Korea signed a contract with SpaceX to launch five spy satellites by 2025. In 2022, South Korea became the 10th country in the world to successfully launch a satellite with its own domestic technology while using a homegrown rocket.

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