SOUTH KOREA: U.S. fighter F-22 is shown to media as part of U.S.-South Korea joint military drills
Record ID:
1547590
SOUTH KOREA: U.S. fighter F-22 is shown to media as part of U.S.-South Korea joint military drills
- Title: SOUTH KOREA: U.S. fighter F-22 is shown to media as part of U.S.-South Korea joint military drills
- Date: 27th July 2010
- Summary: OSAN AIRBASE, SOUTH KOREA (JULY 26, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF F-22 RAPTOR ON DISPLAY U.S. AIR FORCE LIEUTENANT GENERAL JEFF REMINGTON WALKING TOWARD PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. AIR FORCE LIEUTENANT GENERAL JEFF REMINGTON SAYING: "'Invincible spirit' is defensive in nature and designed to dissuade and deter further provocations from North Korea." REMINGTON SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. AIR FORCE LIEUTENANT GENERAL JEFF REMINGTON SAYING: "I do not know how China will interpret the message and the message is not intended for China. Specifically, the message is intended for North Korea." REMINGTON SPEAKING U.S. PILOTS STANDING U.S. PILOTS POSING IN FRONT OF F-22 RAPTOR MORE OF F-22 RAPTOR VARIOUS OF MISSILES U.S. FLAG ON F-22 RAPTOR
- Embargoed: 11th August 2010 15:42
- Keywords:
- Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVA6SVYLL281WSY7G4G3V8UQUCK
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: Two U.S. fighters F-22 Raptor were shown to media at Osan Airbase, south of Seoul, on Monday (July 26) as part of the U.S. - South Korea joint military drills that kicked off on Sunday (July 25) to underscore deterrence against North Korea after the reclusive communist state was accused of sinking a warship belonging to the South.
Pyongyang warned that the drill had pitched the peninsula onto the brink of war.
The U.S. Air Force describes the F-22 Raptor as its newest fighter aircraft. It says the aircraft's combination of stealth, supercruise, manoeuvrability, and integrated avionics, coupled with improved supportability, represents an exponential leap in warfighting capabilities.
The fact sheet also says the Raptor -- one unit costs 143 million dollars -- performs both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions allowing full realisation of operational concepts vital to the 21st century Air Force.
A U.S. Air Force general explained the aim of the military drills.
"'Invincible spirit' is defensive in nature and designed to dissuade and deter further provocations from North Korea," U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Jeff Remington told reporters at Osan Airbase.
U.S. naval vessels, including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, set off from South Korean ports on Sunday for the drills.
North Korea drove tensions to new heights after a team of investigators, led by South Korea's military, accused it of firing a torpedo in March to sink the corvette Cheonan, killing 46 men.
Beijing has voiced objections to the drills, criticising the introduction of large-scale military equipment into the Yellow Sea at a time of regional tensions, and prompted a bulk of the exercise to be staged off the peninsula's other coast.
General Remington reassured that the drills were intended for North Korea, not for China.
"I do not know how China will interpret the message and the message is not intended for China. Specifically, the message is intended for North Korea," said General Remington.
The United States announced new sanctions on the North last week, freezing the assets of Pyongyang's leaders it said were earned through illicit activities and cutting off the flow of cash to them. The moves would also ban travel by some individuals.
On Saturday (July 24), the North's powerful National Defence Commission vowed to launch a "sacred war" against the United States and South Korea at "any time necessary", in response to the drills, denounced as "reckless."
The drills involve more than 200 aircraft, including the F-22 Raptor fighter, and three destroyers, including the USS John S. McCain, part of the 97,000-tonne USS George Washington's strike group.
Four Japanese military officers will be on board the carrier to observe the drills held in the seas east of the Korean peninsula until July 28.
Pyongyang has routinely been shrill in voicing its anger in the past when the allies conducted exercises.
But U.S. officials say further provocations are possible in coming months, especially as the North tries to build political momentum for the succession to leader Kim Jong-il, expected to hand power to his youngest son.
North Korea has called for the resumption of six-party nuclear disarmament talks that it had boycotted since late 2008, a move analysts said was an attempt to put the Cheonan incident behind it and win lucrative aid through negotiations with the South, the United States, Japan, Russia and China. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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