The Pentagon on Thursday said preliminary information shows that North Korea’s claims of a hydrogen bomb test are not consistent with evidence the US is collecting, and that the department is still researching the possible test through “a variety of means.” The Air Force reportedly deployed a WC-135 Constant Phoenix aircraft to collect air samples in the region, and the military is using “as many resources as we can” to confirm what type of test North Korea conducted, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said. The Defense Department would not detail all of the means it is using, nor when any final determination would be made. In addition, DOD is discussing additional ways to work with South Korea in response to the reported test, but that so far does not include approving the possible deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system. “No decisions have been made” on deploying THAAD, Cook said, though the move could be a part of “the larger discussion we have with the South Koreans on the capabilities and alliance going forward.” (See also Condemning the North Korean Nuclear Test.)
The Air Force is leaning toward a less-sophisticated autonomous aircraft in the second increment of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the services chief futurist said. He also suggested that the next increment of CCA may be air-launched, a la the "Rapid Dragon" experiments conducted by the service in recent years.