South Korean fighter jets staged a live-fire exercise Thursday to bolster readiness against North Korean cruise missile and artillery threats, the Air Force said, in the wake of Pyongyang's continued saber-rattling. The training took place over waters off the west coast, involving more than 10 fighter jets, in connection with the annual South Korea-U.S. Freedom Shield exercise that began earlier this week, according to the Air Force. During the air drills, KF-16 and FA-50 jets fired air-to-air missiles to shoot down two targets simulating enemy cruise missiles detected by air defense radar systems. The Air Force also mobilized FA-50 and F-5 aircraft to drop guided bombs to destroy simulated enemy long-range artillery, it said. The exercise took place as the North has ratcheted up tensions with a series of military demonstrations, including artillery firings near the western sea border and a series of launches of what it claimed to be new missiles. Source: Yonhap News Agency
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