N. Korea conducts failed missile test

The U.S. Air Force’s B-1B Lancer bomber flies in formation with two F-15Ks and two KF-16s of the ROK Air Force over the West Sea during a joint drill, Wednesday. / Courtesy of ROK Air Force

B-1B strategic bomber flies over West Sea in joint drill

By Jun Ji-hye

North Korea launched a missile from its east coast Wednesday but it appeared to have exploded in mid-air shortly after liftoff, according to officials in South Korea and the United States.

The launch attempt came as South Korea and the U.S. are conducting the annual Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises mobilizing a set of U.S. strategic assets including the Nimitz-class supercarrier USS Carl Vinson and the nuclear-powered submarine USS Columbus as well as B-1B strategic bombers.

“North Korea launched one missile from an area near an air base in Wonsan this morning, but it is presumed to have failed,” the Ministry of National Defense said, adding that it was “not fired normally.”

The ministry said officials in South Korea and the United States are conducting detailed analyses to determine the type of missile and the exact cause of the launch failure.

The U.S. Pacific Command also confirmed the failed test-firing in the vicinity of Kalma, saying the missile exploded “within seconds of launch” before fixing its vector angle.

“We are working with our interagency partners on a more detailed assessment,” said Commander David Benham, a spokesman for the command. “We continue to monitor North Korea’s actions closely.”

The North pushed ahead with the latest provocation hours before Washington dispatched a B-1B Lancer to the vicinity of South Korea in the latest in a series of deployments of strategic assets.

The strategic bomber from Andersen Air Force Base on Guam conducted joint drills with ROK Air Force’s F-15K and KF-16 fighter jets in airspace over the West Sea, the ministry said, adding that the Lancer conducted a simulation-based bombing drill in the event of a war on the Korean Peninsula.

Maj. Ryan Simpson, Pacific Air Forces bomber operations chief, also said, “Working and training side-by-side with our ROK partners increases our ability to integrate air operations more effectively in order to deter aggression in the region.”

Before flying to South Korea, the bomber conducted a mission in the vicinity of Japan with Koku-Jeitai F-15J Eagles, according to the Pacific Air Forces.

The U.S. sent two B-1Bs to South Korea, March 15, in a show of force against Pyongyang.

The B-1B Lancer is a four-engine supersonic, variable-sweep wing, strategic bomber with a speed of Mach 2. The aircraft is capable of carrying the largest payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the USAF inventory.

The aircraft was designed as a nuclear bomber but is no longer armed with nuclear weapons in accordance with a bilateral treaty between the United States and Russia on the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms. But the Lancer is capable of carrying the AGM-86B air launch cruise missile (ALCM) and the AGM-69 short-range attack missile, which are capable of striking the North’s key nuclear facilities as well as its military leadership.