OKINAWA, JAPAN — The United States and Japan have both deployed "nuke sniffing" aircraft following North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test. <br /> <br />On September 3, the DPRK conducted a weapons test at the underground Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility, with the explosion resulting in a 6.3 magnitude earthquake. <br /> <br />According to Stars and Stripes, a U.S. WC-135 Constant Phoenix was deployed from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, landing at Okinawa's Kadena Air Base on September 5. <br /> <br />Commonly referred to as a "nuke sniffer", the aircraft uses external flow-through devices to collect air particles on filter paper, measuring them onboard for radioactivity. <br /> <br />The nuke sniffers are also equipped to collect whole air samples inside holding spheres, to be analyzed later on the ground. <br /> <br />The North's nuclear test likewise prompted Japan to send three T-4 jets to collect dust and air samples for radiation testing. <br /> <br />Japanese C-130 transport planes will also be checking for airborne radioactive gases, though the risk of the underground tests releasing toxic radiation is generally low, according to 9news.
