US strategic bomber drops precision weapon during exercises with South Korean fighters

By Jack Kim

SEOUL (Reuters) – A U.S. B-1 strategic bomber joined South Korean and U.S. fighter jets on a training mission over the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday, dropping a JDAM guided weapon used with so-called munitions anti-bunker, South Korean Defense Ministry said. .

The drill comes a day after South Korea announced it was resuming all military activities along the border with the North after suspending the 2018 military deal aimed at easing tensions and preventing military clashes.

The JDAM, or Joint Direct Attack Munition, was used around the peninsula for the first time in seven years as part of an exercise demonstrating its precision strike capabilities, the ministry said in a statement.

It uses a guidance system that converts unguided free-fall bombs, including the BLU-109 penetrating warhead, into precision munitions using a navigation and control unit, US Air said Strength.

The ministry did not specify the location of the training flight. South Korean F-15K fighters flying with the B-1 carried out live firing during the exercises which also included US and South Korean F-35 and F-16 stealth jets, he added.

The resumption of military activities was a response to the North's launch of hundreds of balloons carrying waste to the South, which called the move an unacceptable provocation leaving it no choice but to suspend the military pact.

North Korea declared last year that it was no longer bound by the agreement.

South Korean Marines are planning a live-fire exercise on remote west coast islands near the North's disputed maritime border using K-9 mechanized artillery, a South Korean government source said Wednesday.

The sensitive maritime border has been the scene of deadly clashes in the past between South and North Korean artillery units and warships.

The South Korean and U.S. militaries have stepped up training exercises in response to North Korea's weapons tests, including ballistic missile launches and tactical weapons firings.

(Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)