News Story: Can North Korea shoot down a US military aircraft?

North Korean KN-06 Surface-to-Air Missile System

By: Mike Yeo

MELBOURNE, Australia — At a news conference in New York on Monday, North Korea’s foreign minister accused U.S. President Donald Trump of declaring war via Twitter, and the minister threatened to shoot down U.S. Air Force bombers conducting flights near the Korean Peninsula.

Ri Yong Ho told reporters that his country “reserves the right to shoot down United States strategic bombers even when they’re not yet inside the airspace border of our country.” His comments come in the wake of a war of words between both countries over North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons program.

The conference came after a Sept. 23 flight over international waters “east of North Korea” by U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers, escorted by F-15C jets, that U.S. Pacific Command said was 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.”

According to South Korean media citing sources from the country’s intelligence services, the route of the B-1Bs took them approximately 90 miles from the North Korean port city of Sinpo and the Punggye-ri nuclear test site at its closest point but beyond the range of known long-range, ground-based air defense systems. The bombers’ flight path was also well beyond the North’s self-declared, 50-mile military boundary zone, which is not recognized by the United States.

At these distances, it would be a significant challenge for the North to effectively target any U.S. overflights. Like much of its conventional forces, North Korea’s air defense network is large in quantity but of questionable quality due to obsolescence, as the country is barred from importing military capabilities due to a United Nations arms embargo.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Report: New Korean Conflict Would Kill At Least 20,000 South Koreans Daily - US General

Hours after it was revealed South Korean President Moon Jae-in sanctioned supersonic US B-1B Lancers to fly north of the demilitarized zone off the North Korean coast, a former US general said the Pentagon estimates 20,000 people would be killed per day in South Korea should war break out on the peninsula, CNBC reports.

US President Donald Trump vowed the US would “totally destroy” North Korea in an armed conflict, but the profile of that conflict created by analysts within his own DoD finds it wouldn’t be like the invasion of Iraq or Afghanistan, or the combat operation to remove Muammar Gaddafi from leadership in Libya, where armed opposition to US forces was meek.

"It wouldn’t remotely resemble" those conflicts, retired US Air Force Brig. Gen. Rob Givens told the Los Angeles Times Monday. According to Givens, internal Pentagon forecasts put the death toll at 20,000 per day in South Korea; the figure that does not include casualties inflicted upon North Korea’s population of 27 to 28 million people.

News Report: North Korea Claims US Has Declared War

Margaret Besheer

UNITED NATIONS — North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said Monday the United States has declared war on his country and Pyongyang would take counter-actions if threatened, including shooting down American war planes in the region.

Ri directly linked U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments Saturday night on social media platform Twitter to the threat.

In a tweet late Saturday responding to Ri’s United Nations General Assembly speech earlier in the day, Trump wrote: “Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won't be around much longer!”

On Monday, North Korea's foreign minister responded:

“Given the fact that this comes from someone who is currently holding the seat of United States presidency, this is clearly a declaration of war," Ri told reporters outside his New York hotel. "All the member states participating in the United Nations and the whole world should clearly remember that it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country."

The North Korean foreign minister added, "we will have every right to make countermeasures, including the right to shoot down the United States strategic bombers, even when they are not yet inside the airspace border of our country,” he warned.

News Story: White House says U.S. has not declared war on DPRK

NEW YORK, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The United States has not declared war on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the White House said on Monday, in response to remarks of the DPRK's top diplomat.

"Last weekend, Trump claimed that our leadership wouldn't be around much longer. He declared a war on our country," Ri Yong-ho, the DPRK foreign minister, told reporters earlier in New York.

"The whole world should clearly remember it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country," Ri said, referring to Trump's tweet message on Saturday.

In response, the White House denied that the United States had declared war on Pyongyang.

"We have not declared war on North Korea and frankly the suggestion of that is absurd," White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders told a regular briefing in Washington.

"Our goal is still the same. We continue to seek the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," she said.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Conservative parties renew speculation over 'Korea passing'

B-1B Lancer bomber (Image: Wiki Commons)

SEOUL, Sept. 25 (Yonhap) -- Conservative parties on Monday raised speculation that South Korea was bypassed by the United States in the latter's decision to fly a fleet of bombers and fighters near North Korea's east coast in the latest show of force against the wayward regime.

Although the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said the rare flight on Saturday night followed the allies' prior coordination, the parties demanded President Moon Jae-in explain the situation and craft measures to prevent what they term "Korea passing."

Escorted by F-15 fighters from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, U.S. B-1B Lancer bombers from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam carried out the mission, which Washington said underscored "the seriousness with which we take (the North's) reckless behavior."

The flight came after U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un traded barbs. During a U.N. speech last week, Trump called Kim a "Rocket Man on a suicide mission," threatening to "totally destroy" the North. Kim, in turn, cast Trump as "mentally deranged."

"The U.S. independently carried out an unprecedented military operation to fly its bombers and fighters north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) for the first time since the Korean War (1950-53)," Chung Woo-taik, the floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, said during a party meeting. The NLL is the de facto inter-Korean sea border.

"Cheong Wa Dae and the government have to explain to the National Assembly and citizens why such a military operation just short of a war came with South Korea being excluded from it, and what kind of cooperation there was on that matter between Seoul and Washington," he added.

Critics here noted that the flight of U.S. warplanes might signal that Washington could stage unilateral military operations without consulting Seoul first in the case of a major North Korean provocation.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Story: US B-1B bombers fly off N. Korea's eastern coast in show of force

B-1B Lancer (Image: Wiki Commons)

SEOUL, Sept 24 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers flew in international airspace off North Korea's eastern coast in the latest show of force against the isolated country, officials said, amid an escalating war of words between Pyongyang and Washington.

The strategic bombers deployed from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam flew with F-15C air superiority fighters from Kadena Air Base on Okinawa on a mission meant to send a clear message that the United States has many military options to defeat any threat from North Korea.

"This is the farthest north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) any U.S. fighter or bomber aircraft has flown off North Korea's coast in the 21st century, underscoring the seriousness with which we take (North Korea's) reckless behavior," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement.

"We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the U.S. homeland and our allies."

The U.S. has warned that all options, including a military strike, are on the table over North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Report: Mattis - No Need to Shoot Down North Korean Missiles Yet

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says the U.S. has not yet shot down any North Korean missiles because they have not posed a threat to the United States or its allies.

In remarks to reporters at the Pentagon, Mattis said Monday that if the missiles were perceived as a threat, "that would elicit a different response from us.''

Asked what that response is likely to be, Mattis refused to elaborate.

Earlier this month, North Korea tested what it described as a thermonuclear weapon suitable for mounting on an intercontinental ballistic missile.

At the beginning of this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced plans to develop a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile that can target the U.S. mainland.

On Monday, almost a dozen U.S., Japanese and South Korean warplanes armed with live weapons flew over the Korean Peninsula in what the U.S. military is describing as a "sequenced bilateral show of force" in response to North Korea's latest missile launch.

News Story: Seoul officials leaning towards military measures than dialogue with N.K. - defense chief

SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top security officials are beginning to lean towards strengthening military measures rather than dialogue with North Korea in response to the wayward regime's latest nuclear test, Seoul's defense minister said Monday.

His remarks came amid growing calls for President Moon Jae-in to make a course correction of his rapprochement policy that seeks to address the decadeslong nuclear standoff through a delicate mixture of sanctions and dialogue.

"During a National Security Council meeting (held shortly after the nuke test Sunday), views converged on a direction that strengthens the military standoff (for now), rather than (pursuing) the Berlin declaration or dialogue," Defense Minister Song Young-moo told a parliamentary session.

The Berlin initiative refers to Moon's policy that pursues Pyongyang's denuclearization with a security guarantee and economic and diplomatic incentives while seeking a peace treaty and dismissing the prospect of forced unification.

During the session, Song also said that during his recent talks with U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, he demanded the U.S. deploy its strategic assets to Korea on a "regular" basis. He made the demand, citing local politicians' calls for the redeployment of U.S. tactical nukes.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Story: S. Korea consults with U.S. to mobilize strategic assets after DPRK's nuke test

SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's defense ministry said it was consulting with the U.S. side on the mobilization of U.S. strategic military assets after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s sixth nuclear test.

The ministry said in a report to the parliamentary defense committee that it would push for the mobilization of the U.S. strategic assets, such as a nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier and strategic bombers, in cooperation with the United States.

For the stand-alone action, the South Korean military planned to conduct a live-fire drill with "Taurus" air-to-ground guided missiles which is known to have a range of about 500 km, carried by F-15K fighter jets, according to the report cited by local media outlets.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: S. Korea holds ballistic missile drill against N. Korea nuke test

A previous US, South Korea Ballistic Missile Exercise

By Lee Chi-dong

SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's military said Monday it conducted a combined live-fire exercise in response to North Korea's sixth nuclear test a day earlier.

The training aimed at improving the capability of striking the North's Pyunggye-ri nuclear test site involved the Hyunmoo ballistic missile system and F-15K fighter jets.

In the drill, the Army's Hyunmoo-2A surface-to-surface missile and the F-15K's SLAM-ER precision-guided air-to-ground rocket accurately hit a designated target in the East Sea (Sea of Japan), according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

It said the range to the simulated target was set in consideration of the North's Punggye-ri nuclear test site in its northeastern province.

The JCS did not specify the venue for Monday's training. For instance, defense officials said, the North's Punggye-ri area is located some 280 kilometers far away from Sokcho, a city in South Korea's Gangwon Province.

The Hyunmoo-2A's range is around 300 km, and the SLAM-ER can fly up to 270 km.

"The training demonstrates the South Korean military's resolve to destroy not only the origin of provocation but also the enemy's leadership and supporting forces if they threaten the security of our people," Army Col. Roh Jae-cheon, the JCS spokesman, told reporters.

He added, "We staged the real-distance shooting exercise, simulating the Punggye-ri area as the origin of provocation."

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Story: U.S. military sends bombers, fighter jets to S. Korea for joint bomb-dropping drill

USAF F-35 Lightning Fighter

SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. military on Thursday sent strategic bombers and stealth fighter jets over South Korea for the joint bomb-dropping drill with the South Korean jetfighters in the country's northeastern region, local media citing the South Korean air force.

Two U.S. B-1B strategic bombers and four U.S. F-35B stealth combat planes were dispatched Thursday afternoon over the Korean Peninsula from the U.S. island of Guam and the U.S. military base in Japan respectively.

The U.S. combat aircraft conducted a joint flight drill with four South Korean F-15K fighter jets over the peninsula, before dropping MK-84, MK-82 and GBU-32 bombs on a target at the Pilseung firing range in Gangwon province, the northeastern region of South Korea.

The U.S. KC-135 aerial refueling plane was also dispatched to South Korea for the joint air drill, according to local media reports.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Moon orders show of 'overwhelming' force against N. Korean provocation

SEOUL, Aug. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered his country's military Tuesday to display its capabilities that can overwhelm North Korea should the communist state decide to attack, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.

The order came hours after Pyongyang launched what appeared to be an intermediate range ballistic missile that flew over Japan, according to Cheong Wa Dae officials.

The show of overwhelming force involved the dropping of eight Mark 84 or MK84 multipurpose bombs by four F15K fighter jets at a shooting range near the inter-Korean border in Taebaek, Yoon Young-chan, Moon's chief press secretary, told reporters.

The National Security Council (NSC) convened an emergency meeting following the North Korean missile launch shortly before 6 a.m.

"The NSC standing committee denounced North Korea for violating the U.N. Security Council resolutions by again launching ballistic missiles despite stern warnings," Yoon told a press briefing.

In a telephone conversation that also took place shortly after the latest North Korean missile provocation, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her U.S. counterpart Rex Tillerson agreed to push for additional sanctions by the U.N. Security Council, according to Yoon.

Chung Eui-yong, Moon's top security adviser, also held a telephone conversation with the White House's National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster to discuss the allies' joint measures against the North's latest missile provocation.

"McMaster said President Donald Trump fully supported President Moon's North Korea policy and the South Korean government's measures against North Korean provocations," Yoon said.

Read the full story at Yonhap

News Story: Four F-15Ks hold exercise against N. Korea's leadership

SEOUL, Aug. 29 (Yonhap) -- A squadron of four South Korean F-15K fighter jets staged a live-bombing drill against North Korea's leadership on Tuesday in response to its latest ballistic missile launch, the Air Force announced.

The aircraft dropped eight MK-84 bombs, each weighing about a ton, at a simulated target at the Pilseung Range in the eastern province of Gangwon.

They hit the target accurately, it said, adding the practice was aimed at sharpening the capability of completely destroying "the enemy's leadership" in case of an emergency.

Read the full story at Yonhap

News Report: Report Suggests Seoul Might Use German Cruise Missiles in Case of N Korea Attack

South Korea may use German-supplied Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missiles against Pyongyang in case of military conflict with North Korea in the first combat mission of one of the world's strongest weapons, German newspaper Die Welt reported, citing military sources.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The missiles may be released by F-15K Korean fighters to hit reinforced targets hundreds of kilometers away, such as bunkers in the vicinity of North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, Die Welt newspaper claimed.

The Taurus KEPD 350 is an air-launched cruise missile used by Germany, Spain and South Korea. 

News Report: Is South Korea Planning a ‘Surgical Strike’ to Take Out Kim Jong-Un?

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un

South Korean military strategists are reportedly preparing a contingency “surgical strike” against North Korean command, nuclear and missile facilities, which would be initiated by President Moon Jae-in’s Special Forces in the event of an emergency, according to a report in South Korean newspaper Munwha Ilbo.

Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Ministry of National Defense have taken the lead on designing the operation, rather than the National Security Office or Weapons of Mass Destruction department, according to the report that was published on Monday — three days after North Korea’s second suspected intercontinental ballistic missile test.

The NSO and WMD teams have been tasked with establishing separate "precision strike" plans for responding to a nuclear or conventional ballistic missile scenario that has "reached the critical threshold of the Red Line," the news agency said. 

News Story: Two B-1B bombers train in Korea after N. Korea's ICBM launch

B-1B (Image: Wiki Commons)

By Lee Chi-dong

SEOUL, July 30 (Yonhap) -- Two B1-B U.S. bombers flew over South Korea on Sunday in a show of force against North Korea after its launch of another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the allies' armed forces announced.

The strategic bombers from Guam conducted a joint "air interdiction operation" with four F-15K fighter jets, said South Korea's Air Force.

It came in response to North Korea's repeated ballistic missile launches and nuclear weapons development.

"Our Air Force maintains the precision-strike capability and readiness to burn the enemy's missile base and its key facilities, including its leadership stronghold to the ground," South Korea's Air Force Operations Commander Lt. Gen. Won In-cheol said in a statement. "If the enemy provokes, we will respond immediately and retaliate powerfully."

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Report: South Korea Launches Corruption Investigation Into F-35, KF-X Deals

Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning Fighter Aircraft

South Korean officials have opened an investigation into defense acquisition contracts for F-35 and KF-X aircraft pushed for by former President Park Geun-hye, who was sentenced to prison in March for abusing the power of her office, bribery, coercion and leaking classified information.

Defense Acquisition Program Administrator (DAPA) head Chang Myoung-jin has become the subject of a criminal investigation stemming from concerns of negligence and corruption, the Korea Times reported Monday. Chang was tapped by Park for his post shortly before Lockheed Martin and Seoul agreed to the F-35 deal worth at least $7 billion.

South Korea agreed to acquire 40 F-35A conventional take-off and landing aircraft on September 30, 2014. Washington signed off on the program to help its ally retire a fleet of outdated F-4 and F-5 aircraft.

News Story: Boeing completes deliveries of F-15SG jets to Singapore

F-15SG Eagle (Image: Wiki Commons)

By: Mike Yeo

MELBOURNE, Australia — Boeing has completed the delivery of eight more F-15SG Eagle multirole fighter jets to Singapore, according to data from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA’s website showed that the last of eight F-15SGs on its civil register had its registration canceled in the middle of June, with export being listed the reason for cancellation and its destination listed as Singapore. 

This last aircraft, with the FAA registration N361SG/05-8361, was classified as an experimental aircraft in its registration details under the categories of research and development as well as crew training. It is the only one of the eight to be classified as such, and had been noted to be flying over Boeing’s facilities in St Louis, Missouri, as far back as September 2016. 

The reason for this classification is unknown; however, the FAA defines its research and development classification as “to conduct aircraft operations as a matter of research or to determine if an idea warrants further development. Typical uses for this certificate include new equipment installations, operating techniques, or new uses for aircraft,” while crew training is for aircraft that are used “for training the applicant’s flight crews in experimental aircraft for subsequent operation of aircraft being flight tested in type certificate programs or for production flight testing”. 

These eight F-15SGs on the FAA’s database were first registered in mid-2014 by Boeing. Deliveries of these aircraft began in early 2016, with the first aircraft seen in April at the Republic of Singapore Air Force's training detachment at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: US bombers join jets from Japan, S. Korea for training mission

B-1B Lancer (Image: Wiki Commons)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two U.S. bombers flew to the Korean Peninsula to join fighter jets from South Korea and Japan for a practice bombing run as part of a training mission in response to North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear programs, officials said Friday.

U.S. military officials described the mission as a defensive show of force and unity from the three allied nations and said it demonstrated "the ironclad U.S. commitment to our allies."

"North Korea's actions are a threat to our allies, partners and homeland," Gen. Terrence O' Shaughnessy, U.S. Pacific Air Forces commander, said in a statement from Pacific Air Forces. "Let me be clear: If called upon we are trained, equipped and ready to unleash the full lethal capability of our allied air forces."

The U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers from Andersen Air Force Base at the island of Guam conducted a 10-hour sequenced bilateral mission with South Korean and Japanese fighter jets, the statement said.

"U.S. bombers and Republic of Korea fighters are just two of many lethal military options at our disposal," said Lt. Gen. Thomas Bergeson, U.S. Forces Korea deputy commander. "This mission clearly demonstrates the U.S.-ROK alliance remains prepared to use the full range of capabilities to defend and to preserve the security of the Korean Peninsula and region."

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Story: USFK adds long-range air-to-ground missiles to its munitions - sources

AGM-158 JASSM (Image: Wiki Commons)

SEOUL, June 26 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) has more than 10 long-range, precision-guided missiles capable of hitting major facilities in Pyongyang even when fired south of the inter-Korean border, multiple defense sources in Seoul said Monday.

The USFK recently deployed the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, or JASSM, at Kunsan Air Base, some 180 kilometers south of Seoul, for use by F-16 fighter jets, they said.

Lockheed Martin's JASSM with a range of over 300 kilometers is designed to engage high-value fixed targets, equipped with a penetrating blast-fragmentation warhead.

Read the full story at YonhapNews