The United States and its allies flew supersonic bombers and fighter jets over the Korea Peninsula in a 10-hour display of force against North Korea following the country’s latest ICBM launch, defense said on Sunday.
The United States and its allies flew supersonic bombers and fighter jets over the Korea Peninsula on Sunday in a 10-hour show of force against North Korea following the country’s latest ICBM launch.
The American B-1 bombers first flew over Japanese airspace, where they were joined by two Japanese F-2 fighter jets, before flying over the Korean Peninsula with four South Korean F-15 fighter jets, the U. S. Pacific Air Forces said in a statement.
Escorted by the South’s jets, the U. S. bombers performed a low-pass over an air base near the capital of Seoul before returning to the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
The Air Force said the 10-hour mission was a direct response to North Korea’s two intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests this month, the latest of which occurred on Friday.
Analysts say the North’s Friday test showed that a broader part of the mainland United States, including Los Angeles and Chicago, is now in range of Pyongyang’s weapons.
Sunday’s joint mission also follows the U. S.’s Saturday test of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in Alaska, which successfully detected, tracked and intercepted a ballistic missile launched over the Pacific Ocean by the U. S. Air Force.
Related: U. S. Conducts ‘Successful’ Test of THAAD Defense System With Ballistic Missile
“North Korea remains the most urgent threat to regional stability, ” said Gen.
