'Death Swan' B-1B Deployed on Korean Peninsula... Strong Warning Against North Korean Provocations

Joining ROK-US Joint Exercise Vigilant Storm
Up to 60t Armed... Fighter Jets Feared by North Korea

'Death Swan' B-1B Lancer Strategic Bomber Photo by US Pacific Air Forces

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] The "Death Swan" B-1B Lancer strategic bomber is being deployed to the Korean Peninsula.

The B-1B is the U.S. strategic asset most likely to be deployed to the Korean Peninsula in an emergency. It can reach North Korean territory within two hours from its base in Guam, making it a powerful warning message to North Korea.

According to the military on the 5th, the U.S. Air Force B-1B strategic bomber flew to the Korean Peninsula that afternoon to participate in the ROK-U.S. joint air exercise "Vigilant Storm." The U.S. had deployed four B-1Bs to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam in mid-last month.

The B-1B previously participated in a ROK-U.S. joint air exercise in December 2017 involving about 260 aircraft, following North Korea's consecutive major provocations such as its 6th nuclear test and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches. Recently, in June, it moved to Guam to conduct exercises with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and the Royal Australian Air Force.

After the B-1B was redeployed to Guam and was expected to participate in Vigilant Storm to send a strong warning message to North Korea, the U.S. decided to refrain from moving the B-1B to avoid giving North Korea a pretext for provocation. However, on the last day of the exercise, the U.S. made a sudden decision to deploy the B-1B to the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea has recently raised the level of provocations by firing ballistic missiles south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the East Sea for the first time since the division of the peninsula, as well as launching ICBMs. With preparations for a 7th nuclear test complete, the continued provocations by North Korea are seen as a serious concern shared by both South Korea and the U.S., leading to this decision.

The B-1B can carry nearly 60 tons of weapons and reach a maximum speed of Mach 1.25 (about 1,530 km/h). Recently, it has been upgraded to carry the state-of-the-art stealth long-range anti-ship missile (LRASM), capable of precision strikes on large maritime targets from 800 km away.

Despite its sleek design built for high-speed flight, the B-1B’s overwhelming power to drop massive amounts of bombs in a single sortie earned it the nickname "Death Swan."

Meanwhile, the Vigilant Storm exercise, which began on the 31st of last month, has involved about 140 ROK Air Force aircraft including F-35A, F-15K, KF-16 fighters, and KC-330 aerial refueling tankers, as well as about 100 U.S. military aircraft including F-35B fighters, EA-18 electronic warfare aircraft, U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance planes, and KC-135 aerial refueling tankers, totaling approximately 240 aircraft.

Originally scheduled to end on the 4th, the exercise period was extended to the 5th as South Korea and the U.S. decided to continue the drills in response to North Korea’s ongoing provocations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.