US to deploy supersonic bomber in Guam
/Courtesy of Twitter
By Lee Han-soo
The U.S. Air Force will deploy B-1B supersonic bombers in Guam early this month.
“The deployment was decided as a way to better handle North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats,” read a statement on the Pacific Air Forces website.
The B-1B Lancers will replace the B-52 Stratofortress at Andersen Air Force Base.
This marks the first time in 10 years that B-1Bs will be stationed in Guam.
"With a large weapon capacity and exceptional standoff strike capability, the B-1Bs will provide the U.S. Pacific Command and its regional allies and partners with a credible, strategic power projection platform," the statement said.
However the U.S. Pacific Command did not say how many B-1B bombers would operate out of Guam.
The B-1B, which went into operation with the U.S. Air Force in the 1980s, can reach speeds of up to Mach 1.25, or 1,335 k/ph, at an altitude of just 1.5 kilometers.
It can carry nuclear weapons, as well as conventional guided bombs, such as the GBU-31, the GBU-38 and the GBU-54.