The Predator and Global Hawk spy drones have gotten all the attention lately. But manned spy planes are still handling the bulk of surveillance over Iraq.
J-STARS (Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar Systems) planes "will search hundreds of miles of terrain, looking for moving tanks and low-flying aircraft," ABC News reports. "Airborne Warning and Control planes AWACs with rotating 35-foot radar antennas will spot any high-flying Iraqi jets, which have yet to venture into the U.S.-dominated skies. Along with the radar planes, so-called Rivet Joint aircraft will monitor the radio airwaves, eavesdropping on the frequencies used by Iraqi military commanders."
And then, of couse, there's the ageless U-2: nearly fifty years old, and still patrolling the skies at 70,000 feet.
The Predator and Global Hawk spy drones have gotten all the attention lately. But manned spy planes are still handling the bulk of surveillance over Iraq.
J-STARS (Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar Systems) planes "will search hundreds of miles of terrain, looking for moving tanks and low-flying aircraft," ABC News reports. "Airborne Warning and Control planes AWACs with rotating 35-foot radar antennas will spot any high-flying Iraqi jets, which have yet to venture into the U.S.-dominated skies. Along with the radar planes, so-called Rivet Joint aircraft will monitor the radio airwaves, eavesdropping on the frequencies used by Iraqi military commanders."
And then, of couse, there's the ageless U-2: nearly fifty years old, and still patrolling the skies at 70,000 feet.