[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Forces Mobilized to Intercept North Korean Missiles

US Air Force RC-135W reconnaissance aircraft (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The South Korean and U.S. military authorities reportedly detected signs of launch before North Korea fired short-range missiles.

According to government officials on the 28th, the flight path of a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft RC-135W (Rivet Joint) was detected over Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, and northern Gyeonggi Province in the morning. This reconnaissance aircraft took off from a U.S. military base in Japan.

Currently, the main U.S. Air Force reconnaissance aircraft stationed in Japan include a set of three RC-135 variants. They gather enemy location, intent, and threatening activities in advance through signals intelligence, electronic intelligence, and communications intelligence. The three RC-135 variants are the RC-135W Rivet Joint, RC-135U Combat Sent, and RC-135S Cobra Ball, which are regarded as top reconnaissance assets.

The RC-135W reconnaissance aircraft that took off that day is a communications interception reconnaissance plane equipped to detect signals emitted from ground remote telemetry equipment before missile launches and is also equipped with devices to analyze warhead trajectories.

According to Aircraft Spot, the South Korean military operated the Peace Eye at an altitude of 30,000 feet (9.1 km) before North Korea launched the missile. The Peace Eye is equipped with a multifunction electronically scanned array (MESA) radar capable of simultaneously detecting about 1,000 targets in North Korean airspace and maritime areas. It can also detect short- and medium-to-long-range ballistic missile launches.

The South Korean and U.S. military authorities are reportedly conducting a detailed analysis of the flight trajectory, including altitude and range, of the North Korean short-range missile detected by reconnaissance aircraft from both countries that day.

Recently, the U.S. has deployed at least 22 reconnaissance aircraft of seven types over the Korean Peninsula. These include the Joint Stars, Global Hawk (RQ-4) high-altitude unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, signals intelligence reconnaissance aircraft (EP-3), and anti-submarine patrol aircraft (P-3C). Additionally, KH-11 and KH-12 reconnaissance satellites, capable of detecting objects as small as 15 cm on the ground from altitudes of 600 to 700 km, have also been deployed.