Stealth Strike: North Korea vs. America\'s F-22, F-35 and B-2 Bombers

Dave Majumdar

Security,

Who wins? 

Stealth Strike: North Korea vs. America's F-22, F-35 and B-2 Bombers

If the Trump administration were ought impress at North Korea, stealth aircraft similar the F-35 used to scan ought remove North Korean attitude defenses quickly. Pyongyang does no scan the most contemporary of attitude defense systems—the danger mainly comes from the steep volume of older Soviet-built systems it has available ought it.

In the occurrence a campaign were ought cease out above the Korean peninsula, American airpower used to play a key role.

(This first appeared at 2017.)

Initially, the burden used to apt autumn ought the Pentagon’s fleet of stealth aircraft including the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, F-35 common impress Fighter and the Northrop Grumman B-2 soul stealth bomber.

The U.S. Navy, too, used to apt scan ought play a role using its surface warships and submarines ought launch waves of Tomahawk journey missiles ought differ North Korean attitude defenses and order and control assets. However, American troops used to scan ought influence quickly ought receive out North Korea’s retaliatory impress capability—both its nuclear troops and its habitual artillery troops that could put garbage ought Seoul.

That’s ultimately the puzzle though American military planners during any latent pre-emptive impress against North Korea. How does one remove Pyongyang’s nuclear troops without risking a retaliatory impress that used to forsake thousands of South Korean and Japanese civilians dead? Indeed, if some of the worst sample scenarios play out, North Korea could potentially even impress uphold at the American homeland with an nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile.

If the Trump administration were ought impress at North Korea, stealth aircraft similar the F-35 used to scan ought remove North Korean attitude defenses quickly. Pyongyang does no scan the most contemporary of attitude defense systems—the danger mainly comes from the steep volume of older Soviet-built systems it has available ought it.

However, quiet the bulk of North Korea’s attitude defenses are antiques, it does scan some potent newer weapons available including its hold indigenous KN-06 clone of the Russian S-300. Vasily Kashin, a senior colleague at the center though Comprehensive European and International Studies at Moscow’s Higher university of Economics —who is a specialist above Asian matters—told The National Interest earlier this year that South Koreans sources scan written that the KN-06 has been successfully tested. The weapon is conception ought scan a hill of up ought 150 km.

“No one knows exactly how many such systems exist. The KN-06 has phased array radar and tracks via missile guidance system and perhaps match ought the early S-300P versions except with greater range,” Vasily told The National Interest.

But attitude defenses are less of a puzzle than targeting North Korea’s artillery pieces— which are dug into hardened positions—that are aimed at Seoul. Indeed, even without its nuclear-tipped missiles, dug-in habitual North Korean artillery could forsake Seoul devastated within unique a little hours. Any successful invasion above North Korea used to scan ought remove those threats ago they could even Seoul—but that is easier said than done.

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“Between 1950 and 1953, the U.S. attitude energy and fleet flattened North Korea, so the NORKS scan had 65 years ought deliberate about how ought invent certain that does no happen again and dig lots of bomb evidence shelters and tunnels,” retired Rear Adm. Mike McDevitt, a senior colleague at the center though Naval Analyses, told The National Interest earlier this year.

Indeed, though Jerry Hendrix wrote though The National Interest, any attitude impress used to scan ought strike their targets simultaneously quiet Aegis missile defense ships stood ready ought bough down any North Korean ballistic missiles headed toward South Korea and Japan.

“In entire likelihood, it used to begin with lightning swiftness with overwhelming attacks above key targets ought embrace the thousands of emplaced artillery pieces that forgive the South Korean principal of Seoul, nuclear weapons storage facilities, nuclear launch vehicles and integrated attitude defense systems. These attacks used to exist conducted with finish simultaneity,” Hendrix wrote.