Spy Planes Over The Skies Of America

Daily Mail: U.S. Government spy planes use 'augmented reality' software as they fly above major US cities and 'target Muslim areas'

* Software works via plane's cameras and superimposes details onto screen
* FBI can also track the mobile phones of residents below during the flights
* 'Target' areas such as the San Bernardino mosque after December attack
* Government accused of 'secret' surveillance but FBI insists it is legitimate

U.S. Government aircraft are using 'augmented reality' software during flights as they circle above major cities and 'target' Muslim areas.

The software, which works through the spy plane's high resolution cameras, can be used by pilots to superimpose information - including the names of house owners and businesses - onto their screens.

FBI and Homeland Security can also track the mobile phones of the residents below as dozens of aircraft take to the skies each day.

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WNU Editor: Law enforcement has been using air surveillance for as long as I can remember. The only difference now is that they are using better technology, and they are targeting large populations rather than individuals..

A Look At The Planes That Could Be Spying On You Right Now

Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works division is developing the 'Son of the Blackbird' (illustrated above). The engines will use a hybrid system to reach hypersonic speeds, enabling the aircraft to cross an entire continent in an hour. The air friction of this speed alone could melt steel, so the SR-72 is likely to be made of composite materials, similar to those used for space shuttles and missiles

Daily Mail: Spies in the sky: The top secret military technology found in covert planes that could be watching YOU at this very moment

* Famous Cold War spy plane the U-2 is still going strong and currently works for Nasa conducting atmospheric tests
* Lockheed Martin's 'Son of Blackbird' will use a hybrid system to cross an entire continent in an hour
* Bulging 'Global Hawk' drone looks less conventional and could carry our pre-programmed missions
* TR-X - another Lockheed invention - is set to combine best spy plane technology and could be airborne by 2030

Before the advent of the Lockheed U-2, gaining intelligence about the Soviet Union’s secretive actions during the Cold War was almost impossible for surveillance planes flying low over Russia.

But the U-2 spy plane, which was able to fly out of reach of enemy fighters and missiles and take detailed aerial photographs of airfields, factories and shipyards, was a game changer.

Knowledge is power, and these images proved to the US that there was no immediate threat and so a deadly arms race - and potential nuclear war - was averted.

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WNU Editor: This is even above what George Orwell's 1984 predicted.

U.S. Army's Surveillance Blimp Now Operational Above Maryland

The 'JLENS' blimp, built by Raytheon, which can spot objects 340 miles away using highly sensitive radio systems. The US Army has begun testing the craft over Maryland, sparking privacy fears.

US Army's Controversial 'All Seeing' Surveillance Blimps Lift Off Above Maryland - And Can Spot Objects As Small As A Person 340 MILES Away -- Daily Mail

* Blimps can offer '360 degree 24/7 surveillance for 30 days at a time'
* owerful radar allows them to spot objects 340 miles away
* Privacy advocates worry they will be fitted with cameras to track individual people's movements

The US Army has launched the first of two controversial 'all seeing' blimps designed to help the military detect and destroy cruise missiles or rogue aircraft incursions targeting America's East Coast cities.

The first radar-toting vehicle is airborne as part of a three-year test of the latest defense system at an Army facility near Baltimore, Maryland.

When fully deployed next February, the $2.8billion system will feature two, unmanned, helium-filled aerostats - able to scan the oceans and coastline in a 340-mile radius.

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Update #1: U.S. Launches Airstrikes Against al-Shabab Extremist Leader In Somalia -- Baltimore Sun
Update #2: Radar testing for JLENS aerostat -- UPI

My Comment: The eye in the sky is now a reality .... at least over a certain part of U.S. airspace.

U.S. Planes Spy On American Cell Phones

Americans’ Cellphones Targeted in Secret U.S. Spy Program -- Wall Street Journal

Devices on Planes that Mimic Cellphone Towers Used to Target Criminals, but Also Sift Through Thousands of Other Phones

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department is scooping up data from thousands of mobile phones through devices deployed on airplanes that mimic cellphone towers, a high-tech hunt for criminal suspects that is snagging a large number of innocent Americans, according to people familiar with the operations.

The U.S. Marshals Service program, which became fully functional around 2007, operates Cessna aircraft from at least five metropolitan-area airports, with a flying range covering most of the U.S. population, according to people familiar with the program.

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More News On U.S. Planes Spying On American Cell Phones

U.S. planes spy on American phones: report -- CNN
US government planes mimic cellphone towers to collect user data – report -- The Guardian
US spies on mobile phones from the sky -- AFP
US Spy Program Monitors American Mobiles From the Sky: Wall Street Journal -- Sputnik
The government has special airplanes designed to spy on peoples' cell phones -- VOX
The Justice Department Has Been Spying on Your Phone From Airborne Cessnas -- Popular Mechanics
U.S. Marshals are spying on cell phone users with flying fake towers -- Geek

Update: U.S. Defends Marshals in Wake of Secret Cellphone Spying Report -- WSJ

Newest Spy Plane Over Afghanistan And Iraq A Success

MC-12 Liberty. Photo: Rob Vogelaar, aviationnews.eu

Newest Manned Spy Plane Scores Points In War Effort -- USA Today

Coupled with use of drones, intelligence soars.

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is increasingly relying on its latest addition of aircraft in efforts to gain more intelligence on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, records show.

Rather than an unmanned drone, the MC-12 Liberty is a four-person, twin-engine propeller plane based on a civilian aircraft used around the world.

Since Defense Secretary Robert Gates rushed the planes into service June 2009, the intelligence gathered by MC-12 crews has helped capture dozens of insurgents, disrupt networks that produce improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and discover such bombs before they could kill U.S. troops, according to information the Air Force declassified for USA TODAY.

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My Comment: The line that I will remember from this story was what the author sysd at the end ....

Johnson interviewed, researched and wrote a paper for the Air Force exploring whether drones or manned planes were better at spying on insurgents.

"It turned out that we need both," he said in an e-mail.

Hmmmm .... Nuff said.

The Goal Is To Track Everything In Afghanistan

E-8C JSTARS. Photo from Strategic-Air-Command

New Mission, New Techniques -- Defense News

JSTARS Now Tracking Taliban in Afghan Mountains.

Airplanes that were designed in the 1980s to spot Soviet tanks rumbling through central Germany, and used in Iraq to track forces moving under the cover of a sandstorm, now are being used in Afghanistan to spot Taliban fighters trudging on foot at night along rough mountain trails.

The planes are E-8C JSTARS - Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft.

"We're looking at some new applications for the radar," confirmed Col. William Welsh, operations group commander at the 116th Air Control Wing, which operates the U.S. Air Force's 17 JSTARS planes and is based at Robins Air Force Base, Ga. "We're trying to determine exactly what its capabilities are."

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My Comment: I am not privy to the exact capabilities of this technology, but I do not that the intent is to one day track all movement on the ground. This is just the second generation of what will soon be technology that can track and monitor all movement within a defined area. The military applications of such information are truly mind-boggling ..... this does not only give our forces the high ground, but it also denies the enemy any possibility of hiding in the mountains of Afghanistan or any other safe haven within the range of these aircraft. You can run .... but you cannot hide .... will have new meaning when such tech becomes available to our forces in any conflict zone.

The Fighter Jet Camera That Can Read The Time On Big Ben From The Isle Of Wight

The Raptor pod can be seen attached to the underbelly of the Tornado GR4

From The Daily Mail:

A new fighter jet camera which can read the time on Big Ben from the Isle of Wight has been hailed as a breakthrough for fighter pilots in Afghanistan.

The RAF Tornado GR4 technology - known as a Raptor - is used to zoom in on Taliban hideouts and snipers. It is one of the most advanced reconnaissance sensors in the world today.

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My Comment: I am sure that with time, this tech will be miniaturized.

U.S. Army Plans To Send Giant Spy Blimp To Afghanistan

From Popular Science:

Next time you're in Afghanistan, make sure to keep an eye out for the U.S. Army's Space and Missile Defense Command's giant blimp-like surveillance airship.

The Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV), as it's called, will be 250 feet long, autonomous, and able to float at up to 20,000 feet for an impressive three weeks at a time. As for its surveillance capabilities, a 40-foot-long stretch behind the cockpit will house a selection of spy gear, including a motion sensor and radar.

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My Comment: This technology will enable the U.S. Army and intelligence services to see everything .... and I mean everything. The implications and benefits from this type of surveillance are numerous, with probably the intelligence services being the first ones most impacted by this type of information.

How Eyes In The Skies Save Lives

The first six MC-12Ws under Project Liberty surpassed 300 combat missions in Iraq on Monday. That day, Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited the MC-12W production lines in Greenville, Texas, alongside Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Task Force Director Lt. Gen. Craig Koziol to receive updates on its progress. SENIOR AIRMAN TIFFANY TROJCA / AIR FORCE

First MC-12Ws Hit 300 Combat Missions In Iraq -- Air Force Times

GREENVILLE, Texas —The Air Force traded wine chillers for advanced spy equipment aboard custom fit turboprops to help troops hunt down improvised explosive devices.

Two months after the service deployed the first MC-12Ws to Iraq, the same planes that once belonged to private citizens such as a doctor who designed his to ferry wine from his home in Texas to Mexico City are now saving American troops’ lives.

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My Comment: This type of work is more important than what most people realize. My neighbor to my country chalet is a former Israeli intelligence officer whose job was to basically "spot and observe". Listening to him I became aware that this type of intelligence is crucial in populated areas to not only pinpoint who the enemy is, but to conduct surveillance in learning who are his associates.

To learn more about this type of work, there is an excellent link here.

Hat Tip: Prairie Pundit

Battlefield Blimp Tracks Low-Flying Cruise Missiles

Blimps for Warfighters: Blimps fly high for missile defense. Raytheon

From Popular Science:

The Army flies a blimp that can detect cruise missiles up to 300 miles away.

Blimps first soared above battlefields in 1794 to spy on Austrian and Dutch troops. Now the U.S. Army wants them as radar platforms for defense against cruise missiles. A Raytheon-designed blimp made its first flight yesterday at Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

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My Comment: Old is new again .... but with better technology.

Dread Zeppelin: The Army's New Surveillance Blimp

Long Endurance Multi-INT Vehicle: Floating sentinel

From PopSci.com:

Military aircraft is designed to stay aloft for weeks at a time.

Since the airship glory days of the early part of the century, blimps have certainly lost some of their cachet, relegated to hovering over sporting events and not much else. However, the Army is about to test launch an unmanned hybrid airship to be used for surveillance missions in Afghanistan.

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