The South Korean Air Force will now be able to watch using reconnaissance planes not only North Korea but also some areas outside the Korean Peninsula.
According to the Air Force, the U.S.-manufactured high-altitude Global Hawk hybrid unmanned aircraft arrived at a base in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province early this morning.
The remotely-piloted aircraft is the first of a total of four units South Korea is purchasing from the United States under a 2011 deal.
The three others will arrive around the first half of next year, though the schedule is subject to change.
But an Air Force officer said the exact timing of the aircraft's deployment has not yet been decided and will not be officially disclosed to the public.
As one of the most advanced intelligence-gathering platforms in the world, the aerial vehicle is capable of performing reconnaissance missions for around 40 hours at a time at an altitude of roughly 20 kilometers.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
