Two F-35A stealth fighters arrived in the Republic of Korea for the first time. According to The Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), F-35As arrived at the airbase in Cheongju and an official deployment ceremony will take place in the next two months. The two planes will undergo domestic processes to be combat-deployed to the Air Force, DAPA said.

In 2014, the Republic of Korea decided to purchase 40 F-35As for deployment with about $6.8 billion, the biggest amount for the purchase of a weapon system. Ten F-35A fighters, manufactured by US defence firm Lockheed Martin, are set to arrive in  Korea by the end of this year, with the total of 40 set to be transferred to Korea by 2021.

After the fighters are completely combat deployed, Korea would join the list of countries that have stealth warplanes, including China, Japan, and Russia.