US and South Korea practice precision bombing of North Korean military targets

[Boats]

US and South Korea practice precision bombing of North Korean military targets
By: Jeongmin Kim - nknews.org 10-09-23
RE: https://www.nknews.org/2023/09/us-an...ilitary-sites/

Air drills on taking out cruise missiles and artillery seek to deter ‘rash provocations’ by DPRK, expert says.

1st Photo link: https://www.nknews.org/wp-content/up...AB-935x500.jpg
[A South Korean FA-50 fighter jet drops a Korean GPS Guided Bomb (KGGB) above the Yellow Sea on Aug. 31, 2023. The bomb struck dummy targets representing long-range artillery, according to the air force. | Image: Republic of Korea Air Force]

The U.S. and South Korean air forces conducted joint precision strike drills on Thursday, in an exercise that one expert described as a show of force against North Korea.

The drill came on the heels of the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercises that ended on Thursday.

“Through this practical exercise, we were able to reaffirm the excellent performance of the FA-50 fighter jet and KGGB guided bomb developed with domestic technology, and further advance our real-world strike capabilities,” South Korea’s air force stated in a press release.

“In any situation, if the enemy provokes, we will immediately retaliate with our overwhelming precision strike capabilities,” the release continued.

The ROK announcement included photos, videos and other details about the precision-strike drills, showing South Korean warplanes dropping bombs on targets.

The release did not directly mention North Korea, but the scenarios and assets at play show that allies were training for DPRK threat scenarios, according to Hong Min, senior analyst at Korea Institute for National Unification.

“The release is intentional,” said Hong. “It’s obviously a message aimed at North Korea. Even if North Korea continues to pose threats with their long-range artillery, it demonstrates that U.S.-ROK forces are prepared and have an overwhelmingly superior stance.”

The show of capacity to “neutralize” North Korean forces is a primary part of the allies’ deterrence strategy, he added.

“Even though very strategic or operational secrets are not revealed, showing such capabilities deters rash provocations,” he said.

2nd photo link: https://www.nknews.org/2023/09/us-an...5%e1%86%ab4-2/
The South Korean air force participates in joint air drills with the U.S. utilizing Korea GPS Guided Bombs (KGGBs) and FA-50 fighter jets on Aug. 31, 2023 | Image: Republic of Korea Air Force

SCENARIO AND BOMBS

According to the ROK air force release, Thursday’s joint training involved some 30 ROK and U.S. aircraft.

The South Korean aircraft included:

* F-35As firing AIM-9X air-to-air missiles;
* F-15Ks firing AIM-9X air-to-air missiles and GBU-56 air-to-ground bombs;
* KF-16s firing AIM-120B air-to-air missiles, GBU-31 and GBU-56 air-to-ground bombs;
* RF-16s firing GBU-31 and GBU-56 air-to-ground bombs;
* FA-50s firing KGGB air-to-ground bombs;
* F-4Es firing AGM-142s;

U.S. A-10s firing AGM-65 air-to-ground missiles and MK-82 air-to-ground bombs also participated in the drills.

The training involved two phases: intercepting low-altitude cruise missiles, then precision-striking long-range artillery and other ground-level targets, according to the release.

In phase one, South Korean jets fired air-to-air missiles and intercepted dummy targets representing cruise missiles. The jets then practiced evading the ground-to-air missiles that North Korea hypothetically launched, and drop air-to-surface bombs to “wipe out the origin of enemy provocation.”

The GBU-56 bombs had laser sensors and were capable of guided flight to strike mobile targets like transporter erector launchers for ballistic missiles. Then, the American aircraft dropped the air-to-surface bombs to “incapacitate enemy targets,” the release added.

In phase two, two FA-50s dropped South Korea’s GPS Guided Bombs (KGGBs) on “tunnels and mine entrances where the enemy long-range artilleries were hidden, incapacitating them.”

“Most of North Korea’s military facilities, especially those that are most threatening to the ROK like missile bases and launch pads, are underground,” Hong of KINU told NK News. “Therefore, attacking bunkers and underground entrances through various methods like bunker-busters would likely have been a key objective.”

Hong also explained that the reason why the U.S. and South Korea frequently focus on striking North Korea’s long-range artillery in particular is because incapacitating them is crucial in taking the upper hand at the beginning phase of an all-out war.

“If we don’t neutralize the long-range artillery early on, major bases and even the South Korean capital could be under significant threat,” he said, noting that North Korea has increased the range of its artillery with the introduction of 300mm to 800mm-radius multiple launch rocket systems (MLRs).

Meanwhile, the allied air forces also conducted separate air-to-air and air-to-surface live-fire drills from Thursday to Friday with around 60 aircraft, the air force release stated, without providing further information.

3rd Photo link: https://www.nknews.org/2023/09/us-an...ry-sites/07-4/
U.S.-ROK joint air assault training from Aug. 28 to 31 | Image: Republic of Korea Army (Released Sept. 1, 2023)

ARMY AIR ASSAULT DRILLS

Separately, the South Korean army on Friday announced that it conducted a joint large-scale air assault drill with U.S. counterparts as part of the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) from Aug. 28 to 31.

This drill involved around 1,700 personnel from ROK and U.S., as well as some 40 air assets. These included:

South Korean army’s CH-47 Chinooks, UH-60 Black Hawks and Apache AH-64E attack helicopters;

South Korean air force’s C-130H and CN-235 cargo planes;

U.S. CH-47 Chinooks, UH-60 Black Hawks and Apache AH-64E attack helicopters.
The U.S. and South Korean soldiers trained for air assaults on certain enemy regions, as well as day- and nighttime ground attack operations, according to the ROK army release.

Hong noted that the drills came as North Korea appears to be mimicking the U.S.-ROK model of training, referring to how North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led a recent military exercise on not only defending against enemy attack but also carrying out counteroffensives into enemy territory.

“This is similar to a concept that’s been known as defense and counter-attack — that’s the copy of the U.S.-ROK joint drill model’s operationalized concept, and North Korea’s way of directly responding to it,” he said.

Edited by: Bryan Betts

Tags: AVIATION - FOREIGN RELATIONS - INTER-KOREAN - MILITARY AFFAIRS - MISSILES
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Personal note: Training for the real event should it come about.
-