JAPAN / US: More U.S. high-tech combat planes arrive in region as Pyongyang threatens mid-range missiles

Record ID: 465389

  • Title: JAPAN / US: More U.S. high-tech combat planes arrive in region as Pyongyang threatens mid-range missiles
  • Date: 3rd June 2009
  • Summary: KADENA, JAPAN (JUNE 2, 2009) (REUTERS) KADENA AIR BASE AIR STRIP FOUR F22A RAPTORS IN FLYING FORMATION A RAPTOR LANDING PEOPLE WATCHING THE LANDING THROUGH BINOCULARS MORE OF RAPTORS LANDING VARIOUS RAPTORS TAXING DOWN AIR STRIP TO THEIR HANGAR KADENA AIR BASE AIR STRIP
  • Embargoed: 18th June 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVA9YRYPA35EQK4K6WUQSZFK7UF3
  • Story Text: Four American F-22 combat planes, called Raptors, landed at Kadena Air Base on Tuesday (June 2) as North Korea escalated its threats saying it is planning a mid-range missile launch.
    They are the second batch of a squadron of 12 high-tech combat planes deployed to the region in what the United States calls a demonstration of "continued U.S. commitment to fulfill its security responsibilities".
    "The deployment underscore the U.S. commitment to Japan as a vital regional partner and signal U.S. resolve to ensure stability and security throughout the Pacific region," the 18th Wing Public Affairs office said in a statement to the press earlier last week when the first of four fighter planes arrived on Sunday (May 31) from their home base in Langley, Virginia, for a four-month deployment in Kadena.
    The U.S. Air Force says the base on the island of Okinawa is the hub of air power in the Pacific and home to the Air Force's largest combat wing.
    The U.S. military describes the F-22A fighter planes as "combat aircraft that can avoid enemy detection, cruise at supersonic speeds and is highly manoeuvrable."
    The U.S. Air Force Website also said the 94th Fighter Squadron will train with other combat fighter planes in Kadena Air Base as well as Japan's Air Force and the U.S. Navy during its deployment period in the region.
    North Korea's recent missile launches have made the issue topical once again, analysts said, and the U.S. Air Force had recently reversed its earlier position and concluded that it would be feasible to create an export version of the plane.
    North Korea said it was readying to test-fire a mid-range missile according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
    Yonhap quoted a South Korean lawmaker, who was not identified, as saying the launch was being prepared from a base in the southeastern part of the country. The news agency said he offered no further details.
    North Korea has hundreds of mid-range missiles and they have an estimated range of 1,000 to 1,400 km (625 to 875 miles) and can hit all of South Korea and most of Japan.
    North Korea raised regional tensions last week with a nuclear test and by firing a barrage of short-range missiles.
    Pyongyang has turned increasing belligerent since its internationally condemned nuclear test, actions analysts believe Kim Jong-il is using to give him greater leverage over power elites at home to nominate his own successor.
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