By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL AIR BASE, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor fighter jet blasted off Monday, generating a deafening roar at this South Korean air base not that far away from North Korea.
The fifth-generation stealth jet strutted its stuff for a 15-minute rehearsal flight on the eve of the opening of the weeklong Seoul air show, formally called the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX) 2017.
Demonstrating its agility and maneuverability, it wowed media crew and other spectators.
"We are here fully supporting the ironclad alliance and showing our support, bringing the F22 Raptor and showing the capabilities of the aircraft," Maj. Dan Dickinson, commander of U.S. Air Force's F-22 Demo Team, said after the performance.
he Raptor, based in Alaska, is participating in the biennial ADEX along with a host of other high-profile U.S. defense assets such as the F-35A Lightning II, B-1B Lancer, A-10 Thunderbolt II and U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon.
"The capabilities of the jet (F-22) really exceed anything else you've seen in the world today. We are super excited to have two of them. There's only 187 of them in the world," the commander said.
Asked about his impression of flying relatively close to North Korea amid heightened tensions, he just said he would defer all the North Korea-related topics to Washington.
A couple of F-35A jets will be on public display as well and a B-1B Lancer strategic bomber is scheduled to fly over the ADEX site. It will mark the first time an F-35A stealth fighter has landed in South Korea.
"The F-35A is the newest stealth fighter. So, in terms of survivability, in a robust threat environment, and lethality it's the best. So, it will definitely help the Republic of Korea," said Lt. Col. Bryan Daltona, an F-35 pilot in the 56th Fighter Wing Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.
He was referring to South Korea's plan to import 40 F-35As produced by Lockheed Martin.
The first jet will be rolled out next year, with the first delivery to South Korea's Air Force due in 2019.
The U.S. Air Force unit in Arizona will be in charge of training South Korean pilots for the aircraft.
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