The United States flew a supersonic bomber over ally South Korea as part of a major combined air exercise.
The exercise involves hundreds of fighter jets and a display by a supersonic bomber is seen as a show of force aimed at intimidating North Korea over its barrage of ballistic missile tests this week.
As the media outlet points out, at least one B-1B bomber took part in the final day of a joint US-South Korean air force exercise that ended on Saturday, South Korea’s defense ministry said.
The Vigilant Storm exercise – which involves around 240 warplanes, including advanced F-35 fighters from both countries – has sparked a reaction from North Korea.
The North this week fired dozens of missiles into the sea, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that prompted evacuation warnings in northern Japan and grounded its warplanes inside its territory.
Pyongyang said North Korea would respond with the “sternest countermeasure” to any attempt by “hostile forces” to undermine its sovereignty or security interests.
The B-1B flights had been a popular show of force during past periods of tensions with North Korea.
The US has kept four of the bombers in Guam since late October.
South Korea has asked the United States to increase the deployment of “strategic assets,” which include aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and long-range bombers such as the B-1B.
Allies have resumed large-scale training this year as North Korea ramped up weapons testing at a record pace.
The exercise was originally scheduled to end on Friday, but the allies decided to extend the exercise until Saturday in response to a series of North Korean ballistic launches on Thursday, including an ICBM that triggered evacuation alerts and halted trains in northern Japan.
Thursday’s actions came after the North fired more than 20 missiles on Wednesday, the most it had fired in a single day.
The releases came after North Korea’s top military official, Pak Jong Chon, issued a veiled threat of a nuclear conflict with the United States and South Korea over their joint drills, which the North says are evidence of a possible invasion.
In addition, South Korea also “deployed” about 80 military aircraft on Friday after tracking about 180 flights by North Korean warplanes inside North Korean territory.
The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korean warplanes were detected in various areas inland and along the country’s east and west coasts, but did not come particularly close to the border.
