The Associated Press October 9, 2001
Spy planes, satellites aid military planning
By KEN GUGGENHEIM
WASHINGTON -- Sophisticated spy planes and satellites offer U.S. forces vivid images of their targets in Afghanistan and the resistance they may face, intelligence analysts said Monday. Advances in broadband communications and computer technology mean that soldiers in the field can use laptop computers to get the latest images of the targets right before an attack.
"They are not going to conduct any operations without using satellite imagery to understand where every house and hill is in the area," said John Pike, a military specialist with GlobalSecurity.org, an Alexandria, Va., think tank.
But it is unclear how helpful these images will be as U.S. forces hunt down Osama bin-Laden and fight the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan that have protected him. Though satellites provide greater coverage and clearer images than ever before, they are of limited use in a manhunt.
"This isn't perfect by any means," said Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Weather remains a problem. We're talking small, scattered, targets. Very often only human intelligence can tell us who is in a building." But he said that not knowing whether they could be caught by spy imagery could keep U.S. targets in hiding. "For them to move, to use their military forces, to occupy any facility exposes them to the risk we'll detect it," he said.
U.S. officials generally decline to discuss intelligence gathering capabilities, but some of the satellite and aircraft available include:
Lacrosse/Vega high-resolution satellites. The most recent version was believed to have been launched Aug. 17, 2000, by a Titan missile. It is considered particularly useful in cloudy weather.
KeyHole electro-optical imaging satellite. The most recent version was believed to have been launched Friday by a Titan 4B rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The satellite offers high resolution images, capable of picking out objects as small as four inches.
GNAT-750 Lofty View: A long-endurance surveillance aircraft that has been flying since 1989. It is able to stay aloft up to 48 hours without landing or refueling and has a range of 500 miles.
RQ-1 Predator: An evolution of the GNAT, this aircraft has been used extensively in support of NATO forces in the Balkans. An all-weather craft, it carries two color video cameras and can remain airborne for more than 40 hours. It can provide information via satellites with near-real time video.
Hunter UAV: An ancestor of the Predator, the Hunter system has been plagued with problems and criticized by congressional investigators. Prototypes crashed several times and had problems with computer software, data links and engines. The Pentagon stopped buying them in 1996.
RQ-2 Pioneer: The plane was first deployed on the battleship USS Iowa in 1986. It was used in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, flying more than 300 missions to aid in target selection, reconnaissance for advance troop movements and directing air strikes. The system is to be phased out once the Navy's Tactical UAV system enters the inventory.
Shadow 600: An upgraded version of the Pioneer, the Shadow 600 can fly longer -- up to 14 hours. It can be fitted with 17 different kinds of sensors. The model logged more than 700 hours in the Gulf War.
RQ-4A Global Hawk: A high-altitude, long-range spy plane. Still in final testing, the Global Hawk can use cameras, infrared sensors and radar during flights up to 40 hours from as high as 66,000 feet. The jet also has jamming equipment and can use other countermeasures to avoid being shot down. The Global Hawk is designed to fly using automated systems from takeoff to landing.
E-3 Sentry (AWACS) -- Airborne Warning and Control System provides surveillance and communications. It is a modified Boeing 707/320 commercial airplane with a rotating radar dome 30 feet in diameter. Radar has a range of more than 250 miles. Given the Taliban's limited air force, its biggest role in Afghanistan may be in coordinating the flights of the U.S. military and its allies.
Copyright 2001 The Associated Press
