S.Korea Sends Warning to North with Aerial Refueling Drill

The Air Force on Tuesday released images of an F-35A stealth fighter jet being refueled in mid-air as a warning to North Korea what awaits if it continues its provocations.

The North Korea fired short-range missiles from a 600-mm multiple rocket launcher the previous day and warned that just four shots could "reduce to ashes the enemy's operational airfield."

The F-35A is capable of evading radar to strike behind enemy positions and is a key asset in preemptive strikes against North Korean missile attacks.

It was refueled mid-air by a KC-330 Cygnus multi-role tanker which can refuel up to some 20 fighters in the air at a time and also can carry up to 300 troops. The Air Force has four of them.

Aerial refueling drills have been conducted regularly since the F-35A was deployed warfare-ready in December 2019, but this was the first time that images have been released.

The F-35A can fly at Mach 1.6 speed and has a combat radius of more than 1,000 km. After aerial refueling, it can stay in the air for another hour.