U.S. Navy planning for Air War Over Korea

The U.S. Navy has deployed special, radar-hunting warplanes to South Korea to train for a possible air war against North Korea.

The five EA-18G Growlers have joined more than 200 American and South Korean planes and tens of thousands of military personnel for a five-day annual war game known as Vigilant Ace.

The two-person crews of the twin-engine EA-18Gs are responsible for arguably the most dangerous mission in all of aerial warfare. Officially called "suppression of enemy air defenses," the mission involves clearing a path through sophisticated air defenses so that other planes can safely strike their targets.

The EA-18Gs carry sensors for detecting radars' emissions, jammers for interfering with the sensors' functions and radar-homing missiles to destroy them. But to take out enemy air defenses, the Growler crews have to get close and that puts them directly in harm's way.

 In North Korea, the crews would face a growing arsenal of radars and surface-to-air missiles based on deadly Russian and Chinese designs.

The Boeing-made Growlers arrived during the first week of December at Osan air base, around 50 miles from the border with North Korea. The EA-18Gs, from squadron VAQ-134 based in 

Washington State, were in the middle of a six-month training rotation with two squadrons of U.S. Air Force F-16s flying from an air base in Japan.

Eighteen of the F-16s, whose crews also train to destroy enemy air defenses, accompanied the EA-18Gs to South Korea for the Vigilant Ace war game. 

"This exercise will help identify shortfalls our fighter squadron would endure if we had to relocate to [South Korea] during a real-world scenario,” said 1st Lt. Michael Mayclin, a Japan-based F-16 pilot.

The Vigilant Ace exercise is notable for the large number of radar-evading stealth warplanes that are taking part. Six Air Force F-22s, six Air Force F-35As and 12 Marine Corps F-35Bs are in South Korea for the training.

source: daily beast