The United States will deploy six F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets to South Korea in December, Yonhap reported on Thursday citing South Korean military officials. The aircraft will take part in a joint air force exercise reportedly designed to put maximum pressure on the regime in Pyongyang.
"Six F-22 fighters from the U.S. Air Force are scheduled to join the joint South Korea-U.S. air force exercise Vigilant Ace from Dec. 4-8," the officials said. It would mark the first time the US has deployed six superior Raptor fighters to South Korea at once. The jets will fly over from Kadena Air Base in the Japanese island of Okinawa, and they will be joined with up to our F-35A Lightning stealth fighters.
Besides military pressure, the US has also recently placed economic and diplomatic sanctions on North Korea intended to force the regime in Pyongyang to give up on its nuclear weapons program. Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump relisted North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, while the US Department of Treasury imposed additional economic sanctions on a number of Chinese and N. Korean entities suspected of aiding Pyongyang's nuclear program.
