According to the US Forces Korea, two B-1B Lancers flew over South Korea’s airspace and one landed in Osan Air Base.
Advertisement
One of the bombers returned to a United States base in Guam while the other touched down at Osan which U.S. military officials said was created to send a message. “The alliance grows stronger every day and we remain prepared to defend and to preserve the security of the Korean Peninsula and the region”, Lt. Gen. Thomas Bergeson, commander of the USA 7th Air Force in South Korea, said in a statement.
The move came after the DPRK said on September 9 that it successfully conducted an explosion test of nuclear warhead to fit on ballistic rockets.
In case the North succeeds in launching ballistic missiles from mobile launch pads left intact despite a barrage of air strikes by the South and the U.S., Patriot surface-to-air missiles will be launched to intercept incoming missiles from the North in accordance with the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) operation to protect Seoul and its surrounding areas. The move came four days after the North claimed to have carried out its fifth nuclear test, which was condemned by the worldwide community.
South Korea is home to around 28,500 U.S. troops and numerous bases. The move took place eight days after a pair of B-1B Lancers flew over the Northeast Asian country following Pyongyang’s largest ever atomic test.
Graham said this reflects Seoul’s desire for the U.S.to communicate that extended deterrence is functioning “when North Korea is off the nuclear leash and pro-nuclear weapons advocates have suddenly become more vocal” in the South.
The US Air Force has flown two supersonic bombers over South Korea in a show of force towards North Korea. The B-52 can carry nuclear missiles and “bunker buster” bombs that are capable of destroying underground facilities.
North Korea has always been able to keep South Korea at bay with its considerable artillery power near the Demilitarized Zone.
The North condemned the earlier flight as an armed provocation that mobilized “ill-famed nuclear killing tools”.
Then, the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a statement saying, “They are blustering this is a “demonstration of the fulfillment of their strong commitment to protecting” South Korea and “strong warning” to the DPRK, in particular”.
Advertisement
United Nations diplomats say preparations are under way for a possible resolution in response to this month’s nuclear test by Pyongyang, though it’s unclear whether China will support them. It announced a ground test of a long-range rocket engine Tuesday that could be used to launch a satellite into space.
