The Air Force is conducting a five-day exercise aimed at rescuing pilots who are stranded deep inside enemy territory, by mobilizing two search and rescue helicopters, the military said Thursday.

The rescue drill began its five-day run on Monday and will run till Friday at Yeongwol and Danyang, both some 200 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the Air Force.

The exercise was based on a simulation of rescuing pilots who have been forced to eject from their aircraft in hostile territories during a combat engagement.

About 30 air rescuers and two search and rescue choppers are being used in the drill, the Air Force added.

"Air rescuers' main mission and raison d`etre is to get pilots out of trouble," Maj. Jeong Han-cheol said after overseeing the drill. (Yonhap)