This is the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft have flown off North Korea’s coast in the 21st century.
On Sept. 23, hours after the latest threats from Kim Jong Un who said that Pyongyang will soon test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific, U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers from Guam, along with U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan, flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea.
This time, the show of force is a bit more interesting than usual, for four reasons:
1) it is the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft have flown off North Korea’s coast in the 21st century;
3) no allied aircraft is known to have taken part in the mission at the time of writing, whereas most of the previous B-1 missions near the Korean Peninsula involved also ROKAF (Republic Of Korea Air Force) and/or JASDF (Japan’s Air Self Defense Force) jets;
Munitions from a U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps and Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) bilateral mission explode at the Pilsung Range, South Korea, Sept 17, 2017. The U.S. and ROKAF aircraft flew across the Korean Peninsula and practiced attack capabilities by releasing live weapons at the training area before returning to their respective home stations. This mission was conducted in direct response to North Korea’s intermediate range ballistic missile launch, which flew directly over northern Japan on September 14 amid rising tension over North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile development programs. (U.S. Army photo by SSgt. Steven Schneider)
According to the U.S. Pacific Command, today’s mission is” a demonstration of U.S. resolve and a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat. North Korea’s weapons program is a grave threat to the Asia-Pacific region and the entire international community. We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the U.S. homeland and our allies.”
Top image shows a U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer, assigned to the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, receives fuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker Sep. 23, 2017. This mission was flown as part of the continuing demonstration of the ironclad U.S. commitment to the defense of its homeland and in support of its allies and partners. (Photo by Tech. Sgt. Richard P. Ebensberger)
Here’s Some Cool Footage From The 14th Fighter Squadron, from Misawa Air Base, Japan.
Filmed during the two summer 2017 deployments, the video in this post shows the U.S. Air Force F-16s of the 14th Fighter Squadron from Misawa Air Base, Japan, at work from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and Eielson AFB, where the unit deployed in the last months to take part in Cope North and Red Flag Alaska exercises.
Shot using GoPro cameras the video shows the Japan-based squadron using the 20mm cannon, firing the AGM-88 HARM (High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile) and dropping some GBU-12s along with old-fashioned free fall Mk-82 and Mk-84 iron bombs.
Noteworthy, the clip includes footage filmed as the F-16s escorted a B-1 Lancer from the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, to Guam to support the U.S. Pacific Command’s (USPACOM) Continuous Bomber Presence (CBP). The “Bones” have been supporting the CBP mission since Aug. 6, 2016, when the first B-1s, belonging to the 28th Bomb Wing from Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, deployed to Guam, for the first time in a decade, to replace the B-52s and deter North Korea taking part in a significant number of “shows of force” over the Korean Peninsula.
Taking off from Andersen during some of the daily sorties out of Guam, the B-1s have also enjoyed the HVAAE (HIgh Value Air Asset Escort) support from the “Samurais” of the 14th FS.
Take a look at this cool clip of two Spirit bombers arriving in the UK.
On Jun. 9, 2017, two B-2s deployed to RAF Fairford, UK.
Interestingly, the two aircraft, 82-1068 Spirit Of New York (using radio callsign “Mytee 21”) and 88-0329 Spirit Of Missouri (“Mytee 22), launched from their homebase at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, visited a bombing range in the UK before recovering into RAF Fairford.
The following video, filmed by our friend Ben Ramsay, shows the two stealth bombers approaching runway 27 at Fairford, where the Spirits joined the three B-52 Stratofortress and three B-1 Lancer bombers already deployed there to take part in exercise BALTOPS.
Although the U.S. Air Force deploys its bombers to RAF Fairford regularly, it’s quite rare to have the three types on the British base at the same time.
However, the deployment of the “bomber trio” has already taken place last year at Andersen Air Force Base when the three different platforms simultaneously launched from Guam for their first integrated bomber operation in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Is the current deployment to the UK a sign that the trio-bomber force is becoming a routine in the way the strategic assets are operated by USAF?
A B-1 Lancer performing a mock attack on a range in South Korea amid raising tensions with North Korea caused the China’s Air Defense to radio a warning message as the bomber flew close to the Chinese airspace.
During part of the sortie the American heavy bomber was escorted by two South Korea’s F-15K and two KF-16 fighter jets as shown in the photo posted above.
Noteworthy, along with sending a deterrence message to North Korea amid raising tensions caused by the latest ballistic missile launches, the B-1 bomber caused some concern to the Chinese military that tracked the American as it flew over the East China Sea in bound to the Korean peninsula: Fox News reported that the “Bone” bomber (as the B-1 is dubbed by its aircrews) was issued a radio warning on the Guard Channel (the international U/VHF emergency frequency) because it was flying inside Chinese airspace according to the Chinese.
However, U.S. officials who spoke to Fox News said that the bomber was flying in international airspace 70 miles southwest of the South Korean island of Jeju.
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.
This website makes use of cookies, both proprietary or by third part, in order to improve your browsing experience. For more information check our cookies policy.
By closing this message, proceed surfing or using this website, you accept to use cookies. Don’t show this again
