The U.S. plans to dispatch four radar-evading F-22 fighter jets to the peninsula on Wednesday in another show of strength after North Korea’s recent nuclear and missile provocations, military officials here said Tuesday.

The Raptor wing is expected to scramble from the U.S.’ Kadena air base in Okinawa or the Yokota base in western Tokyo, which received 12 F-22s late last month.

“The U.S. is likely to send its strategic weapons step by step according to its road map, depending on how the situation progresses,” a military official said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The stealth fighters are the latest strategic assets the U.S. has deployed to the peninsula since Pyongyang carried out its fourth atomic test on Jan. 6. It flew a nuclear-capable B-52 strategic bomber shortly after the event, and dispatched a nuclear-powered submarine for a three-day joint naval drill with South Korea until Monday. 

The USS John C. Stennis, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is also predicted to take part in the major joint Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises scheduled for next month.

Built by U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin, the cutting-edge fighters are capable of penetrating antiaccess airspace, while finding, tracking and targeting enemy air and ground-based threats. It can cruise at over Mach 1.5 without afterburners, boasting enhanced survivability and lethality.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)