The South Korean air force held a drill simulating an air-to-air interception of North Korean cruise missiles on Wednesday, following the DPRK’s test launches of new cruise missiles earlier this year.

The drill on the sidelines of large-scale U.S.-ROK Freedom Shield exercises comes as experts have warned that the DPRK’s cruise missiles, which it claims are nuclear-capable, are more difficult to defend against due to their maneuverability and lower-altitude flight compared to ballistic missiles.

“Today’s drill was designed to master our capacity to identify and intercept enemy cruise missiles in localized provocation scenarios, and to hone F-15K fighter pilots’ real-life