Washington, September 15: The United States is reportedly prepared to deploy an advanced unmanned spy plane over South Korea that could provide in-depth intelligence on the military activities of North Korea.
The US military newspaper Stars and Stripes quotes senior US intelligence officers as saying that Washington is in talks with Seoul to fly a Global Hawk drone near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas.
The surveillance aircraft, which has been deployed in US operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, could give a much more detailed view of the North’s military and missile sites.
“Global Hawk will likely fly over land in Korea as soon as agreements have been solidified to do that,” said Lt. Col. David Gerhardt of the US Air Force.
Flying the surveillance drone just south of the DMZ means that it could also spy on China’s territory north of the Yalu border-river.
The paper says the move could draw Beijing’s ire. The US has already kept a watch over the North with satellites and U-2 spy planes.
The Hawks are equipped with long-range and infrared cameras, radar and listening devices that can intercept foreign military signals.
South Korean military and defense procurement officials declined to comment on the report. The United States maintains 28,500 soldiers in the South Korea.
——Agencies