TOKYO (Sputnik) — According to the Chosun Ilbo, citing a US military source, deployment of Gray Eagle unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), that are superior in combat characteristics to drones used in Iraq and Afghanistan, is scheduled for July. Equipped with night vision cameras, they can make flights lasting up to 30 hours, and are designed to monitor the areas along the demilitarized zone separating South and North Korea.
The United States began a new strategic deployment of weapons in South Korea, following a hydrogen bomb test announced earlier in the month by Pyongyang.
The United States has already deployed a B-52 strategic bomber capable of carrying nuclear cruise missiles and up to 31 metric tons of bombs to South Korea.
On January 6, Pyongyang claimed it had carried out its first hydrogen bomb test, triggering condemnation from the international community which denounced the test as provocative and undermining stability in the region.