U.S. Sniffer Jet Heading to Korea after North Korea’s Alleged H-Bomb Test

The United States might be sending a "sniffer" jet to the Korean peninsula, a U.S. military official stated reported by CNN.

Susan Romano, a spokeswoman for the Air Force Technical Applications Center, stated via Military.com that "as a matter of policy," the Air Force will not be commenting on the jet's operations.

The sniffer jet will fly to the Korean Peninsula to collect any radioactive byproducts in the air for the U.S. investigation into whether or not North Korea conducted a successful hydrogen bomb test. The leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, claimed that the country was celebrating after it detonated the bomb. Despite the claims, leaders and experts throughout the world have remained skeptical.

"The initial analysis is not consistent with the North Korean claims," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

Even though the U.S., like the other nations, do not believe that North Korea has the technology to make a hydrogen bomb - at least without help from others, investigating the claim is still very important.

The jet that would be sent over is the WC-135W, which is also known as the "Constant Phoenix." The jet, according to information provided by the Air Force Fact Sheet, has technology, "which allows the mission crew to detect radioactive 'clouds' in real time."

According to Air Force information, the sniffer jet program was started in 1947 when the Army Air forces at the time wanted to investigate whether or not the Soviet Union had been conducting nuclear tests.

There are currently two WC-135W jets that are based in Nevada.

The U.S., South Korea, Japan and other countries have condemned North Korea for carrying out an unsanctioned test.