The 21st century super modern spy planes

During the Cold War, SR-71 and U-2 spy planes were the main aerial exploration weapons of American superpower. What about the 21st century?

Since the military commander first sent a scout to climb the tree to see more accurately about the enemy's posture, aerial reconnaissance technology has grown beyond our imagination. The higher you fly, the farther you look, so military reconnaissance technology is closely tied to the development of the air force.

The spy from the air became especially lively during the cold war. The U-2, designed by Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson at Lockheed Martin Group in the 1950s, is an outstanding device: it can fly higher than the missile's reach. The device worked well until 1960 when a U-2 pilot piloted by Francis Gary Powers was shot down by a modern Soviet missile.

Lockheed F-35B - (Photo: udn.com)

Johnson's next design, A-12, significantly improved the speed for reconnaissance aircraft. The A-12 was later modified to SR-17, which can fly at three times the speed of sound. But when the cold war ended, the SR-17 program was canceled in the late 1990s and the U-2 planes also stopped operating shortly thereafter.

What kind of modern military spy planes are being used and the future?

Boeing Wedgetail

Designing and manufacturing an aircraft can take decades. So if a reconnaissance device can be attached to a previous aircraft design that has proven to be reliable, there will be a chance to ascend sooner.

Aerial early warning aircraft (AEW) are examples. They are lifted up very high in the sky to form a secure network that detects any enemy aircraft or missiles that have attacked, as soon as possible. The most famous of these is Awacs (short for 'early warning and control system'), a Boeing 707 jet equipped with ultra-sensitive mushroom-shaped radar.

Boeing Wedgetail - (Photo: blogspot.com)

The latest generation AEW aircraft is Wedgetail (meaning 'wedge-shaped tail' ), which was rebuilt from a Boeing passenger plane (this time 737). Unlike the rotatable radar of Awacs, Wedgetail's radar is fixed and the "view" is programmed electronically. This allows Wedgetail to focus on the most active airspace.

Wedgetail was developed by Boeing for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and six were delivered. It is also very time-consuming to equip these aircraft. The project started in 1996 with a contract to transfer four aircraft signed in 2000, but the first was only delivered to the RAAF in 2009 and has been in operation since 2012. The total cost of this program is can exceed AUD 3.6 billion ($ 3.36 billion).

Airseeker / Rivet Joint

The latest Royal Air Force reconnaissance aircraft (RAF) version is based on an old aircraft. He received the first of three RC-135s, named Airseeker, belonging to the Rivet Joint squadron. The aircraft originated in the 1960s Boeing 707, on the aircraft it could carry more than 30 analysts, technicians and system operation engineers.

Airseeker / Rivet Joint - (Photo: defense. Pk)

But Airseeker / Rivet Joint does not take pictures or scan airspace with radar. The main role is to collect telecommunication electronic transceiver signals flying across battlefields, which is increasingly digitized in modern times.

Exactly how the Rivet Joint does it is still classified classified information of the British army. The RAF home page provides very little information about it, but military websites in the US say 'advanced sensors on aircraft . allowing crews to detect, identify and locate locations. the geography of the signals transmitted through the electromagnetic field '. This means that this reconnaissance aircraft can detect when, where and what devices are transmitting signals whether radio, radar or other electronic signals.

The jets fight

Not all reconnaissance aircraft are as bulky as the aircraft mentioned above. The fighters have been performing reconnaissance missions for years. Today's fighters are very modern and so do the touch sensors. Pilots can receive images and other data from a range of sensors mounted in aircraft.

Take the RAF GR4, for example. This aircraft is equipped with DB-110 sensors attached to the fuselage. Acting as a camera, the DB-110 can deliver amazingly detailed photos from distances up to 70 miles (112km). GR4 used in Afghanistan. The photos were then transferred to analysts. They will see not only the buildings, tanks or trucks, but also the disturbed lands around them, indicating the possibility of an explosive device buried underneath. The DB-110 can also capture 3D images for analysts to assess how high a wall is or if a vacant lot is flat enough to meet a helicopter.

U-2 aircraft - (Photo: wikipedia.org)

The next fighter aircraft that the British army is about to receive, the US-made Lockheed F-35B, is also equipped with unprecedented detection capabilities. In addition to the conventional sensor system on board, the F-35B is capable of transmitting a lot of straight data to the pilot in just one step.

With this device, when the pilot turns his head on the plane and turns on the device, images from the sensors connected to the pilot's helmet will show what they are looking at. The cameras in the cockpit help the pilot look out of the plane and see if an enemy aircraft or a moving target will recognize what object it is, the direction of movement and the speed of movement. other information.

UAV

Unmanned aircraft or UAVs are a revolution in reconnaissance aircraft technology, and the benefit is a long period of operation (a pilot will have to eat and rest). The only drawback of this reconnaissance aircraft is the operating time corresponding to the amount of fuel it can carry.

A Reaper (the unmanned aircraft used by the RAF in Afghanistan) can operate continuously for about 18 hours. Images shot from the plane will be transmitted to the ground almost without interruption and often viewers of the image do not necessarily have to be present in Afghanistan: pilots pilot aircraft may be sitting in Lincolnshire, England, or Nevada, USA.

Global Hawk unmanned aircraft - (Photo: northropgrunman.com)

Of course, UAVs can only be used when you completely own the airspace. A Reaper cannot avoid even the most primitive air-to-air missile. Currently, the US, UK and Europe are investing in a new UAV-capable battle system, with better stealth features, better use of jet engines and better missile avoidance. Size is also a problem with UAV. The largest UAV on the market today, Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk, is still not big enough to carry a radar used on an Awacs.

Lockheed Martin SR-72

After the SR-71 was warehoused in the late 1990s, aviation experts began searching for substitutes. In November 2013, Aviation Week magazine published a famous report about the work of Lockheed Martin's high-tech division, Skunk Works, which revealed a model of aircraft. Super modern scouting of the future, SR-72.

SR-71 - (Photo: vfp62.com)

The aircraft, according to Aviation Week's description, still takes a while to take off. SR-72 unmanned aircraft will be equipped with jet engines to fly at 6,400 km / h, twice the SR-71. If all goes well, the first prototype will take off in the next decade. But even with support from the US military and Lockheed Martin's big investment, there is no guarantee that the SR-72 will become a reality.

Model SR-72 on Aviation Week - (Photo: wordpress.com)