The US-Japan bi-annual military exercise 'Keen Sword' involving fifth-generation fighters F-22A and F-35A was specifically designed for combat scenarios and strategies against the world's most powerful aerial fighters, including China and Russia, according to a report.
The mid-November exercises saw the participation of over 11,000 US personnel from US forces, US Naval Forces Japan, the US Army Japan and marine Expeditionary Forces and the huge training were meant to be a warning to the two giant economies that have been at political loggerheads with the United States over the years.
F-22s stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska were present during the US-Japan exercise on 18 November and they were said to be added for the exercise in order to "stun China" according to Virginia-based Air Force Times.
The exercises that began in 1980s and commanded by one of the most powerful US military units, focused on military performances such as anti-submarine, over-water, air-to-air and defensive air battles during the recent drills. The Air Force displayed the most advanced stealth fighter at Japan and they were flown during the joint drill in order to show-off deterrence and assured security in the region.
"Keen Sword is designed to allow (US and Japan) to practice and coordinate our procedures together and interoperability inn all warfare disciplines," Adm. John Alexander, commander of Battle Force 7th Fleet, explained in a news release. "We'll be conducting anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, air-to-air and air defence warfare scenarios, and we'll be doing that as a combined force."
Air Force F-22 have recently been active in training exercise, especially in the US-South Korean annual drills that served as deterrence to North Korea as well as a show of force to China. F-22s were sent to Osan Air Base, South Korea, to participate in exercise Foal Eagle, a large-scale drill which North Korea annually condemns as a preparation of nuclear war against it.
The advanced fighters also caught attention recently when the US military held never-before-seen joint training exercises at the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida on 19 November.
