Hundreds of Warplanes to Participate in U.S.-S.Korea Air Drills

South Korea and the U.S. will stage massive joint air drills from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4 with about 240 fighter jets flying over the Korean Peninsula.

It is the first time the two countries have mobilized such a large fleet for joint aerial drills since December 2017 and sends a warning to North Korea, which is widely expected to conduct another nuclear test before U.S. midterm elections in November.

"The drills aim to test combined wartime air operations of the Korean and U.S. air forces and improve their combat readiness and capabilities," South Korea's Air Force said.

Some 140 South Korean fighter jets, including F-35As, F-15Ks and KF-16s, and about 100 U.S. fighters, including F-35Bs and F-16s are taking part.

The last time the two countries staged the drills was in response to North Korea's last nuclear test in September 2017.

They were suspended by then U.S. President Donald Trump amid denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang.