US establishes new Reaper drone unit 250 miles from China
By Brad Lendon, CNN
Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — The US Air Force is putting a permanent drone presence on the Korean Peninsula, reviving a World War II-era squadron to bolster security amid simmering military tensions in the region.
The 431st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron was activated on Monday at Kunsan Air Base on South Korea’s west coast, south of the capital Seoul. It will fly MQ-9 Reaper drones from the installation.
It’s another move towards strengthening the US military’s air capabilities on the peninsula, after it repositioned F-16 fighter jets closer to North Korea in recent months. It also comes just weeks after North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un stood shoulder to shoulder with China’s leader Xi Jinping at a massive military parade in Beijing.
The Reapers are unmanned single-engine turboprops that can perform a variety of combat and other missions, according to an Air Force fact sheet.
With an extended range of more than 1,600 miles (2,575 kilometers) and the ability to stay airborne indefinitely with aerial refueling, the Reapers will provide a substantial boost to US forces in the region.
The range of the Reapers covers not only North Korea – the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea is about 150 miles north of Kunsan – but also the East China Sea and Taiwan, about 800 miles away.
The Chinese mainland is only about 250 miles from Kunsan, and the Bohai Sea, where the Chinese navy often holds exercises, is about 600 miles from the US air base.
“MQ-9 operations will support US-Korean priorities in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance across the Indo-Pacific theater,” an Air Force statement said. The military region stretches from the waters off the west coast of the US to the western border of India, and from Antarctica to the North Pole.
“Deploying the MQ-9 brings a powerful capability to the region,” Lt. Col. Douglas Slater, who will command the squadron, said in a statement.
“We’re here to support the mission, deepen cooperation and demonstrate our shared commitment to maintaining security and stability across the Indo-Pacific,” Slater said.
For combat missions, the MQ-9s can carry a range of weapons, from Hellfire missiles to laser-guided bombs.
Permanently stationing the Reapers at Kunsan shows Washington’s commitment to South Korea and its other Pacific allies and partners at a time when some have raised doubts about that as the Trump administration looks at security challenges closer to home.
It was not announced how many Reapers would be based at Kunsan, but an Air Force fact sheet shows 50 in the inventory of US Special Operations Command as of January.
Squadron name revived
Labeling the drone unit as the 431st squadron revives a name that traces back to World War II, when it was activated in 1943 as the 431st Fighter Squadron in Australia, flying long-range P-38 Lightning fighters as escorts for US bombers in the Pacific theater.
The 431st was last active as a test squadron for F-111 aircraft in California, shutting down in 1992.
Activating the squadron in South Korea is the Air Force’s second big move of the year on the peninsula.
In July, the service started moving F-16 fighter jets from Kunsan just over 80 miles to the north to Osan Air Base, to form what it calls a “super squadron” closer to North Korea.
A total of 31 F-16s and 1,000 personnel were to be moved from Kunsan to Osan by October, the Air Force said in a statement in July.
The temporary transfer is expected to last through October of next year to see if it can “maximize capabilities and increase combat effectiveness on the Korean Peninsula,” an Air Force statement said.
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