Two U.S. Air Force B-1 Lancer bombers from Guam performed a “show of force” in South Korea following Pyongyang’s recent nuclear test.
On Sept. 12, two B-1B bombers flew over Osan airbase, South Korea, in a show of force against North Korea that has recently conducted a nuclear test.
The flyover saw the first “Bone” escorted by four South Korean F-15K Slam Eagles and the second bomber escorted by four U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcons.
Actually, the low level flight over Osan was just the latest part of a longer mission launched from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
According to the PACOM, in the vicinity of Japan, the B-1Bs conducted fighter interception training with two F-2 fighters from JASDF to enhance operational capabilities and the tactical skills of units.
Later in the flight, the JASDF and the ROKAF (Republic Of Korea Air Force) fighters conducted a hand-off of the U.S. B-1Bs in international airspace. Following the handoff, the B-1Bs and ROKAF F-15 fighter aircraft and U.S. F-16 fighter aircraft conducted a low-level flight in the vicinity of Osan.
The mission carried by the B-1s is just the latest in a series of similar missions carried out over South Korea to flex muscles against Pyongyang: in the past, B-52s and B-2s have performed similar flyovers, whereas Elephant Walks are regularly staged at South Korean airbases, involving both local and U.S. combat planes.
The B-1 that took part in the mission over Osan belong to the 28th Bomb Wing from Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, that have deployed to Guam on Aug. 6 to replaced the B-52s in supporting the U.S. Pacific Command’s (USPACOM) Continuous Bomber Presence mission.
The B-1s, at their first deployment to Andersen Air Force Base in a decade, have brought years of repeated combat and operational experience from the Central Command theater to the Pacific.
The aircraft have just received some additional cockpit upgrades during works conducted after the Bones returned stateside in January 2016, after a 6-month deployment worth 3,800 munitions on 3,700 targets in 490 Close Air Support and Air Interdiction sorties in support of Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIS.
The US announced that THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System) is going to be stationed in South Korea, following the recent events.
Jacek Siminski has contributed to this post.
