■林國賓
原文：
The US Air Force is putting a permanent drone presence on the Korean Peninsula, reviving a World War II-era squadron to bolster security amid simmering military tensions in the region.
The 431st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron was activated on Monday at Kunsan Air Base on South Korea’s west coast, south of the capital Seoul. It will fly MQ-9 Reaper drones from the installation.
It’s another move towards strengthening the US military’s air capabilities on the peninsula, after it repositioned F-16 fighter jets closer to North Korea in recent months.
The Reapers are unmanned single-engine turboprops that can perform a variety of combat and other missions, according to an Air Force fact sheet. With an extended range of more than 1,600 miles (2,575 kilometers) and the ability to stay airborne indefinitely with aerial refueling, the Reapers will provide a substantial boost to US forces in the region.
The range of the Reapers covers not only North Korea-the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea is about 150 miles north of Kunsan-but also the East China Sea and Taiwan, about 800 miles away.
中譯：
美國空軍在朝鮮半島重啟二戰時期的一支遠征偵察中隊，進行無人機永久部署，以在區域持續升溫引發軍事緊張之際，強化安全。
美國空軍週一在南韓西海岸、位於首爾南方的群山空軍基地，重啟二戰時期的第431遠征偵察中隊，並將操作MQ-9「死神」無人機。
這是繼近幾個月將F-16戰機調往鄰近北韓附近後，美軍加強朝鮮半島空中作戰能力的最新部署。
根據美國空軍資料，「死神」為單引擎螺旋槳無人機，可執行多種戰鬥與任務。航程超過1600哩（約2575公里），透過空中加油可長時間滯空，將顯著提升美軍在該區域的作戰能力。
「死神」的作戰範圍不僅涵蓋北韓，還延伸至約800哩外的東海與臺灣。其中，南北韓非軍事區距離群山基地北側約150哩。
─關鍵軍語─
※squadron：中隊
※DMZ：非軍事區