The South Korean Air Force conducted an “elephant walk” training, involving a close formation of dozens of armed fighter jets taxiing en masse before takeoff, in connection to Seoul and Washington's ongoing annual combined Freedom Shield exercise.

According to the Air Force on Friday, the elephant walk drill, aimed at displaying its overwhelming capability, was staged at the Suwon base in Gyeonggi Province.

Eight F-4E Phantom jets, set to be decommissioned in June, led the group, followed by F-15K, KF-16, F-16, FA-50, F-5, and F-35A jets, adding up to a total of 33 aircraft.

While the elephant walk training in the past had comprised assets from a single air force unit, this marked the first time that the Air Force's fighter jet models were mobilized for the exercise.