Long-distance air-to-ground equipped ‘Death Swan’ warns of North Korean provocations in the sky near the Korean peninsula

Two US B-1B’Lancer ‘strategic bombers called’ Death Swan ‘flew 12,000 km long from the American mainland to Guam via Japan. Although the United States did not disclose the flight, it was interpreted as a warning to North Korea, as it used a route over Japan near the Korean peninsula.

The US B-1B ‘Lancer’ strategic weapon is flying over Seoul Airport under the cover of the Korean Air Force F-15K in October 2017. A B-1B strategic bomber, nicknamed ‘Death Swan’, which reminiscent of a swan, it left the American mainland on the 4th and flew to Guam via the vicinity of Japan. [연합뉴스]

According to ‘Aircraft Spot’, a civil aircraft tracking site on the 4th, the two B-1Bs departed from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, USA, and arrived at the Air Force Base Anderson in Guam after flying over the North Pacific Ocean and near Japan. In the process, B-1B was also refueled twice.

The United States continues to conduct long-distance training for bombers in recent years. This is to “show off” the range of strategic bomber strikes that start from the American continent in an emergency.

There is also an atmosphere that prefers the operation of strategic bombers capable of precise strikes and large-scale strikes in emergencies, away from the high-cost method where US troops are always stationed in one area. The United States Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milly pointed out Korea and the Gulf region in an online forum hosted by the United States Naval Research Center on the 3rd (local time) and insisted that “it is necessary to reconsider the way US forces are permanently stationed abroad. ”

A B-1B strategic bomber equipped with a simulated long-range air-to-ground missile on the underside of the aircraft flies over Edwardian Air Force Base in California, USA. [사진 공군 홈페이지=연합뉴스]

In particular, it is interpreted that this flight can be seen as a warning for both North Korea and China. The reason is that it may be a preliminary warning when concerns arise about North Korean provocations during the transition period of the US administration.

In 2017, when North Korea launched a missile test, the United States sent a ‘death swan’ over the Korean peninsula and launched an armed demonstration. Although the flight path did not go directly over the Korean peninsula on this day, an image of a long-range air-to-ground missile (JASSM, Jasm) mounted on the underside of the aircraft was released on the 20th of last month. It is the analysis of military experts.

Reporter Jeong Yong-soo [email protected]