US, South Korean Warplanes Begin Largest Ever Air Drills

The United States and South Korea began one of their largest combined military air drills on Monday, with hundreds of warplanes from both sides staging mock attacks 24 hours a day for the better part of a week.

The operation, called Vigilant Storm, will run until Friday, and will feature about 240 warplanes conducting about 1,600 sorties, the US Air Force said in a statement last week. That number of missions is the highest ever for this annual event, it added, Reuters reported.

Pyongyang has condemned joint drills as a rehearsal for invasion and proof of hostile policies by Washington and Seoul. In protest of recent drills, North Korea has launched missiles, conducted air drills, and fired artillery into the sea.