Cold War Aircraft Still Has Important Use

A North Korean scare might just be a bluff. At least that's the word from the US Air Force.

The UK's Times reports the Air Force is flying a cold war-era WC-135 Constant Phoenix near North Korea sniffing for signs of radioactivity.

The WC-135 is a variant on the KC-135 tanker. President Eisenhower commissioned Constant Phoenix to gather data from nuclear tests conducted by the former USSR.

The plane carries special equipment enabling it to scoop air through a system of filters. The filters can capture the tiniest of particles.

Scientists study the particles to determine if any radioactivity present is natural, or the result of a man-made event -- such as a nuclear test.

The aircraft is based at Offutt Air Force Base Nebraska and is operating out of Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. Intelligence analysts say the WC-135 should have found nuclear isotopes in the air had North Korea detonated a device, especially a device of 15 kilotons as Russia has suggested.

South Korea says the detonation was more like one kiloton, and US seismic analysis says it was more like half a kiloton. If US analysts are right, either the Koreans are lying, or something went wrong with the test.

Analysts say no matter the size, containing all the radioactivity would be quite an achievement if the device was nuclear.

Political experts say North Korea stands to gain much if it can convince the world it has a military nuclear capability. So far, there is no indisputable proof either way, and media reports on Wednesday remained conflicted.

FMI: www.iaea.org