The US deployed at least one B-1B bomber for joint drills in South Korea amid tensions with North Korea, according to South Korean media.
According to the defence ministry, a US bomber dropped Joint Direct Attack munitions at an unspecified location in the country. South Korean F-15K fighter jets escorted the bomber during an exercise on Wednesday.
The last time US B-1B bombers conducted such an exercise in South Korea was in 2017. The ministry stated that the bomber also conducted joint drills with South Korea’s F-35A and KF-16.
The exercise also included participation of US F-35B and F-16 fighter jets. However, the ministry didi not specify the number of deployed B-1B bombers.
The exercise came amid heightened tensions over North Korea’s provocative actions in recent days. The provocations included sending balloons carrying trash to the South, prompting Seoul to fully suspend the 2018 inter-Korean military pact on Tuesday.
