OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea – As part of the continuing demonstration of the steadfast United States (U.S.) commitment to the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) defense, a U.S. Air Force B-1B strategic bomber flew from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, landing at Osan AB in the Republic of Korea, Sept. 21.
“The bond between the United States and the Republic of Korea is ironclad and the strength of that commitment will not be shaken by North Korea’s aggressive behavior,” said Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Bergeson, 7th Air Force Commander. “What we are showing today is just one tool we have to choose from a wide array of options. The alliance grows stronger every day and we remain prepared to defend and to preserve the security of the Korean Peninsula and the region.”
Lieutenant Gen. Lee Wang-Kuen, ROK Air Force Operational Commander, also stressed the importance of the Alliance’s commitment to the safety and security of the Korean Peninsula.
"The Korean Peninsula Faces a grave security crisis as a result of North Korea’s 5th nuclear experiment along with its continued launching of SLBM and ballistic missiles despite the concerns of the International community,” said Lee. “The ROK-US Combined Air Forces, acutely aware of this climacteric situation, maintains a close information sharing and a robust combined operational capability. Should the enemy provoke us once again, the Combined Air Forces will respond and eliminate their will and capability to fight."
The B-1 Lancer is a four-engine supersonic variable-sweep wing, jet-powered heavy supersonic strategic bomber with Mach 2 speed. The aircraft is capable of carrying the largest payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the Air Force inventory. It can rapidly deliver massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against any adversary, anywhere in the world, at any time. The aircraft holds almost 50 world records for speed, payload, range, and time of climb in its class. The Lancers recently deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
The landing follows a flyover on Sept. 13 and military leadership said these are just the first steps in a further strengthening of the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea.