News - Middle East: The US Air Force has sent F-35 stealth warplanes to South Korea to carry out maneuvers, with a New York-based analyst saying the deployment of these destabilizing weapons will likely be viewed as a First Strike threat by North Korea.

US Forces Korea said in a statement on Tuesday that the fighter jets along with several others will participate in a 10-day training mission, flying over South Korea and surrounding waters.
South Korean F-35 jets are expected to fly with American aircraft.

“The familiarization and routine training flights will enhance the interoperability of the two Air Forces to perform and operate on and around the Korean Peninsula,” the statement said.

“The aviation training is also an opportunity for the aircrews to perform sustainment and maintenance duties to support the latest in military aircraft technology,” it added.

South Korea’s defense ministry said in a separate statement the flight operations are aimed at “demonstrating the South Korea-US alliance’s strong deterrence and combined defense posture, as well as improving interoperability between the two Air Forces.”

The US has publically deployed F-35 aircraft to South Korea first time since December 2017, when it sent F-22 stealth fighters and F-35 aircraft to participate in a joint aerial drill.

The drills come as the US is escalating tensions with North Korea. In response, Pyongyang is ramping up its missile tests.

The US and its allies reportedly flew dozens of jets over the Korean Peninsula last month in a provocative move against North Korea.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden met in May in Seoul where they vowed to expand combined military drills around the Korean Peninsula.

“Both leaders agree to initiate discussions to expand the scope and scale of combined military exercises and training on and around the Korean Peninsula,” the leaders said in a joint statement on May 21.

Washington also declared to “deploy strategic US military assets in a timely and coordinated manner as necessary, as well as to enhance such measures and identify new or additional steps to reinforce deterrence in the face of DPRK destabilizing activities.”