US Flies Nuclear Capable B1-B Bombers Just Off Coast Of North Korea

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The US flew B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by F-15 fighters off North Korea’s coast on Saturday in show of ‘resolve,’ the Pentagon said.

U.S. Air Force warplanes flew the closest they have flown to North Korea this century today in a show of force following Kim Jong-un’s nuke and missile tests.

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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, a Pentagon’s spokesperson said.

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US today flew nuclear-capable B1-B bomber just off coast of North Korea in show of ‘resolve,’ Pentagon says

— TimJohnson (@TimJohnson4) September 23, 2017

North Korea’s Foreign Minister hit back hours branding Trump as “a mentally deranged person full of megalomania” who is holding “the nuclear button”.

“None other than Trump himself is on a suicide mission” he added

RT reports:

The planes took off from Okinawa, Japan and flew over the waters east of the Korean Peninsula.

“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, underscoring the seriousness with which we take (North Korea’s) reckless behavior,” said Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White.

#USAF bombers, fighters fly in international airspace east of #NorthKorea, farthest north of the DMZ in 21st century https://t.co/R5DLUQigSF pic.twitter.com/fsFx4Q1oKE

— U.S. Pacific Command (@PacificCommand) September 23, 2017

The DMZ is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula near the 38th Parallel, separating North Korea from South Korea. It was created in 1953, following the armistice which ended the Korean War.

Mission underscores seriousness of DPRK behavior; sends clear message that @POTUS has options to defeat any threat. https://t.co/R5DLUQigSF

— U.S. Pacific Command (@PacificCommand) September 23, 2017

The B-1B Lancer strategic bombers entered service in the mid-1980s. The plane was designed specifically as a bomber strictly for a nuclear war, thus having a limited capability to carry conventional bombs. Following the demise of the Soviet Union, the role of a bomber for purely nuclear war became questionable, and the Lancer fleet was grounded. The planes eventually underwent a series of modifications, which bolstered their conventional bombing capacity, but deprived them of their nuclear load.