South Korea and the US conducted a combined aerial exercise on Thursday with a US B-1B strategic bomber, marking the first deployment of a US strategic asset to the Korean Peninsula since the launch of the second Trump administration.
The B-1B bomber was escorted by the South Korean Air Force's F-35A and F-15K fighter jets and US F-16 fighter jets over South Korean airspace, according to South Korea's Defense Ministry.
The ministry explained that the exercise aimed to demonstrate US extended deterrence capabilities against North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile threats while enhancing interoperability between South Korean and US forces.
Details on the planning timeline -- particularly the decision to include the B-1B bomber -- were not disclosed. A ministry official noted that the exercise aligns with South Korea’s ongoing discussions with the US in recent years to include US strategic assets in combined exercises, a practice that continued under the previous Biden administration.
The B-1B, also known as the Lancer, is one of the US military’s three strategic bombers, alongside the B-52H and B-2. It is the only supersonic bomber among them and is expected to play a key role in preemptive strikes on critical targets if signs of a North Korean attack are detected.
Although it does not carry nuclear weapons, the B-1B is capable of carrying nearly 60 metric tons of bombs. Its high speed allows it to reach the Korean Peninsula from a US base in Guam in just two hours.
On Jan. 15, South Korea, the US, and Japan conducted a trilateral aerial drill over international waters near the Korean Peninsula, with a US B-1B strategic bomber also participating, in response to North Korea’s continued provocations ahead of Trump's expected inauguration.
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