America announces nuclear superbomb test in show of strength at North Korea warmongering

[Carmen Elsa Irarragorri Wyland]

© Provided by Trinity Mirror Plc

The United States has announced it has tested a nuclear super bomb in a show of strength in the face of North Korean warmongering.

America’s increasingly hard line towards Kim Jong-un was underlined by President Donald Trump who tweeted that “ talking is not the answer ” to dealing with the rogue leader’s regime.

With the international community holding its breath amid fears the President was itching towards military action, the US Air Force said it had carried out a successful flight test of the B61-12 guided bomb - the world’s most dangerous nuclear weapon.

The US said its ship the USS John Paul Jones used guided missiles to intercept a medium-range ballistic missile target that was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii.

It was later revealed that on August 8 a F-15E aircraft from Nellis Air Force Base had dropped a dummy nuclear super bomb in the Nevada desert.

The US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said the tests were to check the aircraft’s “capability to deliver the weapon” which will be at the centre of America’s armoury within three years.

“The B61-12 life extension program is progressing on schedule to meet national security requirements.

“These realistic flight qualification tests validate the design of the B61-12 when it comes to system performance,” said Phil Calbos, acting NNSA deputy administrator for Defense Programs.

The show of force came amid mounting global tensions that America was looking at a military solution to dealing with Kim Jong-un.

The North Korean leader sent shockwaves around the world on Tuesday by firing a missile over Japan.

Despite the international outrage, Kim Jong-un has threatened further missile launches.

The self-proclaimed demigod said the missile fired over Japan was “the first step” of military operations in the Pacific.

In a frightening development, the North Korean state media issued a fresh threat against the US island of Guam, calling it “an advanced base of invasion”.

© Provided by Trinity Mirror Plc Credits: Getty

“The current ballistic rocket launching drill like a real war is the first step of the military operation of the KPA (Korean People’s Army) in the Pacific and a meaningful prelude to containing Guam,” the North’s KCNA news agency quoted Kim as saying.

The US President responded by saying the said the North would face “fire and fury” if it threatened the United States.

“The US has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer!,” he tweeted.

In the past North Korea has temporarily halted nuclear development when the US and others provided food aid or other types of compensation.

But the North has not been making such demands since Mr Trump took office.

The United Nations security council condemned North Korea’s “outrageous” firing of a ballistic missile over Japan but held back from threatening new sanctions.

China, North Korea’s closest ally, warned America against taking unauthorised action the country.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China was discussing the situation with other Security Council members.

“Any measures against North Korea should be under the UN Security Council framework, and should be carried out according to Security Council resolutions,” he said.

In April the US dropped its largest non-nuclear weapon on Afghanistan.

The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, nicknamed MOAB, or ‘Mother of All Bombs’, contains 11 tonnes of TNT.