USFK Announces Increase of U-2 Flights To Gather Intelligence On North Korea
Considering all their recent missile test activity conducting increased reconnaissance makes sense:
The United States’ forces stationed in South Korea have expanded their aerial reconnaissance along the inter-Korean border following North Korea’s recent launch of Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM), official sources said Monday.
On June 22, North Korea fired two Musudan missiles from its eastern coastal city of Wonsan. The first missile reportedly blew up shortly after launch, but the second one soared to an altitude of some 1,400 kilometers before flying 400 km and hitting the East Sea. Pyongyang has declared the second launch a success, and with a range of 3,000 to 4,000 km, the IRBM could reach as far as the U.S. territory of Guam.
Since the latest launch, the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) had been sending two U-2S ultra-high altitude reconnaissance aircraft to conduct daily surveillance missions along the inter-Korean military demarcation line, USFK officials said.
Before the launch, only one U-2S was sent into the air to conduct reconnaissance.
The reconnaissance aircraft, nicknamed Dragon Lady, monitors, videotapes and sometimes wiretaps North Korea’s military activities from an altitude of some 20 km on a flight mission that could last up to eight hours. The U-2S can see 60-70 km inside North Korea while still flying outside the country’s airspace. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link.
Wait, this bird went nearly 900 miles straight UP, before flying 250 miles out to sea?
Or did it fly 250 miles at just under a mile high? Meters and Kilometers. The difference makes a difference… Yards and meters, not so much.
@MTB Rider, the missile did fly 900 miles high. That is how analysts are able to determine that it could reach the max range of around 3,500 km. KJU had it fired at a lofted trajectory for the test because flying it at a lower trajectory to maximize the range would have taken it over other countries. I think he wants to save that provocation for another day and when he has more confidence in the missile.