The United States, South Korea, and Japan conducted joint air drills on Wednesday, January 15, involving at least one B-1B bomber. This was reported by Yonhap, citing South Korea’s Ministry of Defense.
The exercises were held in response to North Korea’s recent launches of hypersonic ballistic missiles and short-range missiles.
The trilateral drills included South Korea’s F-15K fighter jets and Japan’s F-2 fighters. The last time the three nations conducted such exercises was in November 2024.
The latest drills aimed to enhance their collective deterrence and response capabilities against evolving nuclear and missile threats from Pyongyang, such as the reported launch of a hypersonic ballistic missile earlier this month.
In addition to the trilateral exercises, the South Korean and U.S. Air Forces separately conducted their first joint air drills of the year on the same day, featuring live-fire exercises to bolster their combined defense readiness.
