Seoul, May 12 (IANS): The South Korea Air Force on Friday kicked off a regular large-scale exercise to bolster its combat capabilities and ensure the country's defence posture.

The eight-day Soaring Eagle exercise began at an air base in Cheongju, 112 kilometre south of Seoul, amid tensions on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of North Korea's firing of a purported solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile last month.

The exercise mobilises more than 160 personnel and nearly 60 warplanes, including F-35A stealth fighters, F-15Ks, KF-16s and KC-330 tanker transport aircraft, according to the Air Force, Yonhap news agency reported.

It will take place under various scenarios, such as infiltrations by enemy special forces and aircraft as well as cruise missile launches, with participants set to stage attack formation drills focusing on striking core enemy assets and the origin of provocations, the armed service said.

It will also stage air interdiction drills to train pilots to neutralise enemy targets, such as stationary artillery batteries and mobile missile launchers, in the shortest possible amount of time.

"The purpose of this exercise is to become equipped with swift response capabilities against recently continuing enemy provocations and threats, and acquire the best operational capability by verifying strike capabilities against threat targets," Col. Won Kwon-soo, who leads the exercise, was quoted as saying.

Launched in 2008, the Air Force has conducted the Soaring Eagle once or twice a year.