The US flew a B-1B supersonic bomber in a joint US-South Korea air force exercise, following North Korea’s barrage of ballistic missile tests this week.
The Vigilant Storm exercise involved around 240 warplanes and was initially scheduled to end on Friday, but was extended to Saturday in response to a series of North Korean ballistic launches.
This week, North Korea launched dozens of missiles into the sea, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that triggered evacuation warnings in northern Japan.
Following the combined aerial exercise, North Korea launched an additional four short-range ballistic missiles into the sea.
The supersonic bomber last appeared in the region in 2017. The large-scale exercises halted during the Trump administration’s attempt to negotiate with North Korea.
North Korea has described the B-1B as a “nuclear strategic bomber,” however the plane was switched to conventional weaponry in the mid-1990s.
