Han Jun went to the United Arab Emirates to participate in the multinational air defense and anti-missile joint exercise in September

Yonhap News Agency, Seoul, November 28 (Xinhua) The South Korean Air Force sent troops for the first time in September this year to participate in the multinational joint air defense and missile defense exercise held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), testing the ability to deal with North Korean missile threats.

According to news from the Korean Army on the 28th, at the invitation of the United Arab Emirates, the South Korean Air Force sent officers and soldiers of the Missile Defense Command to the Al-Dhafra Air Force Base in Abu Dhabi from September 5 to 16 this year to participate in the "Falcon Shield" ( Falcon Shield) Command Post Exercise (CPX).

The South Korean military participated in the exercise as an observer country in September last year, and this is the first time that it has formally participated in the exercise. The exercise uses computer simulations to carry out cross-border air defense and anti-missile exercises. Assuming that the enemy uses fighter jets, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and other weapons to launch multiple and sporadic attacks, the exercise is to exercise the ability to make timely decisions and master combat execution procedures. Several Gulf countries and the United States and other countries participated in the exercise.

According to the analysis, the main reason for the South Korean military to participate in the exercises in the Middle East is that South Korea's air defense conditions are similar to those of the United Arab Emirates. South Korea and the United Arab Emirates are using the "THAAD" anti-missile system and "Patriot" missiles to deal with the Scud series missiles of neighboring countries. In addition to Scud missiles, North Korea has recently developed a variety of short-range ballistic missiles. The South Korean military’s participation in this exercise may be to learn the combat execution and equipment utilization experience of the US military and others overseas in conditions that are basically the same as South Korea’s.

In addition, the participation of the South Korean military in the exercise is also conducive to deepening the defense and military industry cooperation between the two countries. In January this year, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates signed a US$3.5 billion export agreement for the Korean-made anti-missile system "Tiangong-2", and the two sides have established a close cooperative relationship on air defense weapon systems. (Finish)

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