Two B-1B Lancers flew low over the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, some 70 km south of capital Seoul, at about 1:10 p.m. local time (0410 GMT), according to local media reports. The US said the flyover was an assurance of the country’s commitment to preserving security on the peninsula and in the region.
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The Korean peninsula has been witnessing a flurry of activity with the North not appearing to scale down any of its missile programmes.
The escalation occurred a day after Kim Jong-un’s rogue state claimed it had successfully tested a new, high-powered rocket engine.
Days after North Korea conducted its most powerful nuclear test yet, two US bombers flew over South Korea in a display of force – a warning to Pyongyang and reassurance to Seoul.
“The [Republic of Korea] ROK-US Combined Air Forces, acutely aware of this climacteric situation, maintains a close information sharing and a robust combined operational capability”.
Several B-1B Lancers were reportedly dispatched to the Andersen base in Guam in early August from Ellsworth air base in South Dakota to replace B-52 strategic bombers.
The announcement comes on the heels of two demonstrations of military unity between the USA and South Korea against the Kim Jong Un regime.
On Sept. 13, the U.S. military dispatched two B-1B bombers to South Korea, but all of them returned back to the Guam base right after flying low around the Osan base for about 10 minutes.
North Korea condemned a similar flyover on September 13 as an armed provocation that mobilized “ill-famed nuclear killing tools”, but did not immediately respond to Wednesday’s flight.
China rejects the decision and says the dispute in the South China Sea with five other smaller claimants should be resolved bilaterally, not multilaterally, and without the interference of non-claimant countries such as the United States and Japan.
The B-1B doesn’t now carry nuclear weapons under a disarmament treaty, and some US experts do not consider them as nuclear capable in their current configuration.
Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Bergeson said the deployment of the supersonic bombers was aimed at showing that the U.S. is committed to defending its ally South Korea from North Korean aggression.
The Lancer, which has the ability to fly very low and faster while carrying a large payload, represents a major upgrade in U.S. long-range bombing capability over the B-52.
After previous North Korean nuclear tests, the US and South Korea used flyovers to show off power.
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Pyongyang has continued such provocative acts as nuclear tests and long-range rocket launches despite a wide range of UN-led sanctions.
