Thu, Oct 12, 2006
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.
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