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The US military flew another major intelligence-collecting aircraft over the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday, as Seoul and Washington were on the alert for a possible long-range rocket test by Pyongyang, according to a flight-tracking service.
The RC-135S Cobra Ball spy aircraft, based in Japan, made a sortie around the Peninsula, Yonhap News Agency quoted Flightradar24 as saying, a day after the US sent an RC-135V Rivet Joint reconnaissance plane here apparently in order to monitor North Korean military activities.
The move came amid reports the North might be all set for the test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) following back-to-back tests of related systems.
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“We are closely tracking and monitoring (North Korean activities),” an official at South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters and stressed that Seoul is maintaining a “firm” defence posture.
The US and South Korea, in particular, have been keeping a close eye reportedly on the Sunan airfield and some other sites where the North conducted missile tests.
On March 11, Seoul and Washington accused Pyongyang of having conducted a new ICBM system test each on February 27 and March 5 ahead of a full-range launch, dismissing the North’s claim the twin tests were part of efforts to develop a “reconnaissance satellite”.
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