S. Korea, US, and Japan hold joint exercise with B-1B strategic bomber

South Korea, the United States, and Japan conducted joint aerial training on Sunday near the Korean Peninsula, mobilizing the U.S. Air Force's B-1B strategic bomber. On Thursday, a demonstration of force was held as a warning to North Korea, which carried out provocation action using the new ‘Hwasong-19’ intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The joint aerial training among the three countries is the first in seven months since North Korea's firing of the new hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) in April this year.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the training was conducted over the Korea-Japan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), east of Jeju. Participating aircraft included the U.S. Air Force’s B-1B bomber, known as the ‘Swan of Death,’ the ROK Air Force’s F-15K and KF-16 fighters, the US Air Force’s F-16 fighter, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s F-2. Reportedly, the training was conducted with B-1B bombers escorted by the three countries’ fighter planes, quickly and accurately relocating planned training airspace and striking virtual targets.

The B-1B is a supersonic strategic bomber that can fly up to 12,000 kilometers at 1.25 times the speed of sound (about 1,530 kilometers per hour). In emergencies, a Guam bomber can fly to Korea in two hours. Though it does not carry nuclear weapons, it can be equipped with up to 57 tons of weapons, allowing it to carry more precision-guided bombs and air-to-ground missiles than the B-2 stealth bomber or B-52 bomber.

Previously, the three countries mobilized the U.S. Air Force's B-52 strategic bomber and conducted joint aerial training over the southeastern part of Jeju when North Korea launched a new hypersonic solid fuel IRBM into the East Sea in April. “This demonstrates the ROK-US alliance’s ability to implement ‘integrated extended deterrence’ to respond to North Korea’s heightened nuclear and missile threats and our determination to respond through ROK-US-Japan security cooperation,” said an official with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Meanwhile, the South Korean and U.S. military authorities have recently made public the news of joint bombing exercises using the U.S. Air Force's Reaper (MQ-9) unmanned attack aircraft. On Wednesday, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command recently released photos of joint precision strike training conducted in South Korea, featuring the U.S. Reaper and ROK Air Force F-15K fighter jets on its website.


Sang-Ho Yun ysh1005@donga.com