Joint STARS aircraft apparently will deploy to Korea following a specific request from the South Korean government.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates approved the move late Sunday according to sources.

The premier airborne ground surveillance aircraft – based only at Robins Air Force Base – will join U.S. forces already in the region. Tensions heightened following North Korea’s artillery attack last week on Yeonpyeong Island. The attack reportedly killed four people, wounded 18 and resulted in return fire from the South.

The timing of the deployment, how many aircraft will be involved and from where have not been announced. Confirmation and additional details were not immediately available from the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins or an Air Force spokesman at the Pentagon.

The 17-aircraft Robins wing maintains a deployed presence in Southwest Asia in addition to aircraft at the home station.

U.S. and South Korean forces are currently carrying out a four-day joint military exercise, a move the Pentagon said had been planned well in advance. The U.S. presence includes an aircraft carrier and other naval vessels.

North Korea reportedly has moved surface-to-air missiles and other multiple-launch rocket systems closer to its Yellow Sea coastline while South Korea has reinforced its 4,000 troops on Yeonpyeong.