U.S. redeploys ‘swan of death’ to Guam in 6 months

The U.S. military has confirmed that four of its supersonic B-1 bombers have been forward deployed to Guam from the mainland United States – the first deployment in Guam of what is dubbed the “swan of death." It seems that the bombers are preparing to fly to the Korean Peninsula to deter North Korea’s provocation during the Key Resolve, a major South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise.

The U.S. Pacific Command said Thursday that the B-1B bombers from the Dyess Air Force Base, Texas had arrived at the U.S. air base on Guam to carry out missions of strategic deterrence in the region and support of allies.

The bombers were deployed to Guam in August last year for the first time since 2004 and flexed their muscles over South Korea a month later after North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test.

The B-1B bombers are capable of flying at 1,530 kilometers per hour, or 1.25 times faster than the speed of light. Therefore, they can reach South Korea from Guam in just two hours.

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