South Korea and France resume joint air exercises after three-year pause
South Korean F-35As and French Rafales took part in a three-day drill at Cheongju, the first such joint exercise in three years, as part of France's wider Pegase mission.
South Korea and France have held joint aerial exercises for the first time in three years, with a three-day drill finishing at an air base in Cheongju, about 110 kilometers south of Seoul.
The exercise ran from September 15 to 17, 2026. South Korea committed F-35A stealth fighters and KC-330 Cygnus multirole tankers, while France sent two Rafale fighters and an Airbus A330 refueling tanker.
On September 16 the two air forces carried out mutual aerial refueling, intended to build each side's familiarity with the other's refueling systems. They also flew joint tactical sorties, splitting aircraft into allied and opposing forces to simulate operational scenarios. Pilots from both nations exchanged views on flight tactics and aircraft operations during the drill.
The two air forces also flew over a memorial cemetery in Busan, with three South Korean F-35As and two French Rafales taking part in a tribute to United Nations troops killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.
The French deployment was part of the Pegase mission, a program that runs from September 8 to October 15, 2026 and is aimed at testing France's interoperability and deterrence capabilities with allied forces across nine countries, among them Canada, the United States and Japan.
Major General Vincent Chusseau, commander of the French Space Command, said in a written interview that the visit to South Korea was meant to review France's role as a partner in addressing regional challenges.
Sources
- aerotime.aeroSouth Korea’s F-35As and French Rafales join forces in three-year first