Monday, May 07, 2012

Preparing For that Alpha Strike

I keep expecting a big, coordinated strike package to hammer a small piece of North Korea from the air in case North Korea starts an incident yet expects to be the only one to shoot-to-kill.

We seem to be practicing that capability:

South Korea and the United States on Monday launched a major joint air exercise to deter North Korean provocations amid high cross-border tensions, officials said.

The annual drill called "Max Thunder" will run through May 18 and involves about 60 planes including jet fighters, KC-135 refuelling aircraft and AWACS surveillance planes, the South's air force said in a statement.

Electronic counter-measures and flak suppression to pave the way for strike planes using precision munitions to smash ground targets, with friendly fighters ready to sweep any challenging North Korean fighters out of the sky, all under the command and control of aircraft that see everything in a wide circle around the target.

North Korea would be stupid to risk that humiliation.

North Korea's leaders are certifiably stupid.