The defense ministry said that South Korea and the U.S. held a combined air drill over the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday involving a U.S. B-1B strategic bomber as part of the ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise.

The “Warrior Shield” field training maneuver over the West Sea marks the tenth joint drill so far this year that has mobilized at least one U.S. strategic bomber, with Wednesday’s exercise featuring South Korean FA-50 fighter jets flying together with U.S. F-16 fighters.

The B-1B, which was also deployed to the Korean Peninsula in February and March in response to North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile launches, can fly at a maximum speed of Mach one-point-25 for up to 12-thousand kilometers, enabling it to reach the peninsula from Guam in two hours.

Though not equipped with nuclear weapons, the aircraft can carry a load of 57 tons, far heavier than other strategic bombers such as the B-2 and B-52.

The ministry said the drill demonstrated "extended deterrence in action" and a robust combined defense posture by deploying U.S. strategic assets on the heels of North Korea's claimed space vehicle launch that ended in failure last week.

It said the South Korea-U.S. alliance maintains the most robust defense readiness against Pyongyang's continued missile provocations and other acts that raise instability in the region, and will continue to respond to such hostilities.