[Photo] US intensifies surveillance flights over Korean Peninsula

The US Air Force deployed its Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, a high-altitude remotely-piloted surveillance aircraft, over the Korean Peninsula on Dec. 11. The civilian aviation tracker Aircraft Spots tweeted that the Global Hawk was spotted flying 52,000 feet (15,849.6m) over the Korean Peninsula. The US has deployed various types of surveillance aircraft over Korea in recent weeks amid escalating tensions with North Korea, with some suspecting Pyongyang is preparing for a long-range rocket launch.