The United States deployed a second missile-tracking aircraft to an air base in the Western Pacific Ocean, following the nuclear-armed North Korea testing a hypersonic weapon.
Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Pacific Air Forces for comment by email. The North Korean Embassy in Beijing, China, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why It Matters
North Korea on Monday conducted its first major weapons test of the year, firing a new hypersonic missile that aims to enhance the country's so-called "nuclear war deterrent." Its leader, Kim Jong Un, oversaw the test at an undisclosed location with his young daughter.
A hypersonic missile is capable of traveling at greater than five times the speed of sound. It is viewed as a "game-changer" as it can evade most of the air and missile defenses.
When North Korea launched its new missile, a U.S. Air Force RC-135S reconnaissance aircraft, capable of collecting data on ballistic missiles, was returning to an air base on Okinawa Island in Japan's southwestern waters, missing the chance to spy on the missile.
What To Know
An RC-135S, which has a registration number of 61-2662, on Tuesday landed at Kadena air base in Okinawa after a non-stop transit from Offutt Air Force Base, its permanent home in Nebraska, according to data captured by the aircraft tracking service Flightradar24.
The aircraft, also known as Cobra Ball, joined another RC-135S, the 62-4128, which missed the recent North Korean missile launch by a few hours. This is the second time since early December last year that the U.S. military has stationed two Cobra Ball aircraft at Kadena.
On December 10, both the 62-4128 and the 61-2662, which were deployed to Kadena at that time, flew North Korea-related missions over the waters east of the Korean Peninsula. Two days later, the 61-2662 departed for Offutt until it returned to Kadena on Tuesday.
The U.S. Pacific Air Forces previously told Newsweek that operations of the RC-135S were planned and routine. "Pacific Air Forces remains committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific focused on fostering regional security and stability throughout the region," it said.
There are three Cobra Ball aircraft in service, which are rapidly deployable and support the development of U.S. strategic defense and theater missile defense, according to the U.S. Air Force. Each aircraft is equipped with sophisticated optical and electronic sensors.
What People Are Saying
A U.S. Air Force fact sheet read: "The RC-135S, equipped with a sophisticated array of optical and electronic sensors, recording media, and communications equipment, is a national asset uniquely suited to provide America's leaders and defense community with vital information that cannot be obtained by any other source."
@MeNMyRC1, an open-source intelligence analyst on X (formerly Twitter), previously told Newsweek: "Since pictures don't tell you when a test will take place, you have to send the airplane so it can be on station if the launch occurs."
What Happens Next
President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn into office on January 20. North Korea may try to send a signal to the upcoming U.S. administration by launching more missiles.
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