The U.S. Air Force has ordered 15 of its F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter jets to South Korea as tensions increase on the peninsula with the possibility of a North Korean nuclear test.

The radar-evading planes began flying from Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico to U.S. air bases in South Korea this week in a deployment expected to last four months, a Holloman spokesman said yesterday. About 250 airmen from the U.S. 49th Fighter Wing will accompany the aircraft, the air force said in a statement.

The F-117A Nighthawk makes use of stealth technology "to penetrate deep into enemy air space to deliver satellite and laser-guided munitions onto time-sensitive, high-value targets," the statement said. Reuters