US sends bombers, fighter jets to S. Korea

Seoul Aug 31 (IANS) The US military on Thursday sent strategic bombers and stealth fighter jets to South Korea for a joint bomb-dropping drill.

Two American B-1B strategic bombers and four F-35B stealth combat planes were dispatched from Guam and the US military base in Japan respectively reports Xinhua news agency.

The US 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 KC-135 aerial refueling plane was also dispatched for the drill.

The South Korean air force said the drills were carried out to counter North Korea s repeated ballistic missile launches and its nuclear development.

The air exercises came two days after Pyongyang fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile called Hwasong-12 over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

--IANS
ksk/vt