North Korea once shot down a US plane

North Korea has shot down US planes before and they can do it again.

In the latest statement from North Korea's foreign minister, the country warned that it has the right to shoot down any US strategic bomber flying outside its airspace in response to provocative threats from President Donald Trump.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said the US President had “declared war” on North Korea in a tweet suggesting that leader Kim Jong-un’s regime would “not last much longer.”

Earlier, the US sent two B-1B strategic bombers to fly in international airspace near the east coast of North Korea. Mr. Ri emphasized that Pyongyang has the right to defend itself by shooting down US aircraft even if they have not entered the country's airspace.

Although the latest threat from North Korea's foreign minister is just one of many provocative statements in the war of words between the US and North Korea, it may not be all empty talk.

North Korea once shot down a US Navy EC-121M spy plane.

On April 15, 1969, North Korean Air Force fighters shot down a US Navy EC-121 reconnaissance plane flying in international airspace. All 31 crew members were killed. The US Navy plane was flying over the Sea of ​​Japan, about 144 km off the coast of North Korea, when it was suddenly attacked by a squadron of MiG-17 fighters.

Despite the fact that it was the largest loss of American troops in a single attack during the Cold War, the Nixon administration decided not to retaliate against North Korea. Instead, the US Navy held a show of force exercise in the Sea of ​​Japan and resumed reconnaissance flights the following week.

Fifteen months earlier, in January 1968, North Korean patrol boats had attacked the US spy ship USS Pueblo (AGER-2) operating 1 nautical mile off North Korea’s 12-nautical-mile territorial waters. One of the 83 sailors on board was killed, while the others were held for more than a year before being released.

Bringing the body of the American soldier who died in the EC-121 plane crash back home.

According to analysts, if North Korea wanted to shoot down a US aircraft, it would almost certainly have to use surface-to-air missiles.

“North Korea has one of the most extensive air defense systems in the world, from short-range missiles and anti-aircraft artillery to long-range missiles,” said defense analyst Lance Gatling, president of Tokyo-based Nexial Research Group.

North Korea's most advanced air defense missile is probably the KN-06 – a more upgraded version of Russia's powerful S-300 SAM system, Gatling said.

Although the details of the missile system's capabilities are unclear as only two test launches have been detected, North Korean media announced in May that "glitches" with the weapon had been resolved and it was being deployed nationwide.

“It is clear that these missiles could reach international airspace along the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. While it is clear that patrolling international airspace is not illegal, launching a missile at a target flying in international airspace would be an act of war and would be treated as such,” Gatling explained.

However, North Korea launching a missile is one thing, but hitting its target is another. The US B-1B bombers and their fighter escorts are equipped with a multitude of systems designed to intercept incoming missiles. Whenever a missile attack is detected, the fighters will take out the North Korean ground-based radar units that are guiding the missile.

Besides, expert Gatling also believes that with its air force, North Korea will hardly be able to intercept US fighter jets.

The latest fighter jet in the North Korean military is the MiG-29, which was produced in the 1980s. North Korean pilots are only allowed to test fly it for a few hours a year due to lack of fuel. They are also unable to test launch missiles from the aircraft because of their small numbers.

“The equipment is old, the crews are not well trained, which leads to them being knocked out in any direct confrontation with American fighters,” Mr. Gatling analyzed.

According to Kienthuc.net.vn