Cobra Ball Reconnaissance Aircraft Appears on the Korean Peninsula... What It Means [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The U.S. Air Force reconnaissance aircraft RC-135S ‘Cobra Ball’ has been deployed over the Korean Peninsula. This is interpreted as a sign that North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch is imminent.

On the morning of the 19th, the flight path of the U.S. Air Force reconnaissance aircraft RC-135S ‘Cobra Ball’ moving from the U.S. military base in Japan to the East Sea was detected. The RC-135S, which departed from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, is equipped with state-of-the-art electro-optical equipment capable of tracking ballistic missile trajectories from long distances. This reconnaissance aircraft, specialized in detecting and tracking ballistic missiles, is known to have flown over the East Sea and conducted reconnaissance around the Pyongyang area in North Korea.

Since late last week, North Korea is presumed to have moved an ICBM mounted on a transporter erector launcher (TEL) out of the base in the Pyongyang Sunan area and is fueling it with liquid propellant. Once liquid fuel is loaded into an ICBM, it must be launched within 3 to 4 days. The launch timing coincides with President Biden’s visit to Korea on the 20th or the Korea-U.S. summit on the 21st.

North Korea has expressed its intention to strengthen its military power aimed at the United States. On the 15th, North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in an article titled “The United States is the main culprit for the escalation of the situation on the Korean Peninsula” that "the Group of Seven (G7) Non-Proliferation Directors infringed upon North Korea’s legitimate right to self-defense," and pointed to the U.S. as responsible for worsening the situation on the Korean Peninsula while declaring its intention to strengthen military power.

Our military believes that North Korea has completed a certain level of preparation for military provocations. On the 17th, Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop said at the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee plenary session, "(North Korea’s 7th nuclear test) is largely prepared in many aspects." Although North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un expressed great concern over the spread of COVID-19, calling it a ‘great upheaval (Daedongran),’ the possibility of a political decision to proceed with a nuclear test cannot be ruled out.