#45 - Military Surveillance Aircraft

Miranda Chase #15, Wedgetail, makes a cool cover, but what is a Wedgetail and what is its place in the vast panoply of specialized surveillance planes?

Back in NerdGuy #35, here, I discussed the E-4B "Doomsday plane" Nightwatch from Miranda Chase #12. In the recent short story, Playing the Air Game (also included in the Reloaded collection), I wrote about the RC-12 Guardrail. 

So, how do all of these fit together? While this is not an exhaustive exploration, it was fun learning as much as I did.

There are several distinct missions fulfilled by these types of planes:

• Continuity of government: Air Force One and the E-4B Nightwatch
• Airborne Early Warning & Control (and a few minor variations): detecting and countering significant attacks
• SIGINT: Signals Intelligence
• AGS: Airborne Ground Surveillance, tracking what's moving around down on the ground
• Maritime Patrol: spotting and, in some cases, attacking marine craft, especially submarines

None of these categories are exclusive, but the roles are distinct. For example, an E-4B Nightwatch has an amazing array of AEW&C and SIGINT capabilities. It is essentially the pinnacle of AEW&C planes. 

There is also some division between the various services (and then each major country may have their own versions or purchase ones from allies). Yes, drones are stepping into many of these roles, but the others are absolutely still aloft and working hard.

A BRIEF LOOK AT THE AIRCRAFT:
Continuity of Government

These planes can literally run a war from the air. They will always be staffed by someone with the authority to do so if necessary. 

Air Force One - the very capable showpiece

E-4B Nightwatch - it may look similar (except for the satellite dome on top) but this is the hammer. It is never far from the President when he's traveling out of the country. If the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is airborne, it's probably on a Nightwatch.

AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING & CONTROL

These aircraft are far more concerned with controlling an area than a global crisis. In a pinch they might be able to step up, but their specialty is the local battlezone (if you define local as an area out to 500 or 1,000 miles).

 

The instantly recognizable E-3 Sentry aircraft, due to the large spinning radome (radar dome) on top, is also based on a Boeing 707. Sixty-eight of these fly for several countries.

The E-7A Wedgetail in Miranda #15, fulfills the same purpose, but is fantastically more agile and capable. Not merely because it is a far newer 737 airframe, but the electronics are generations beyond what could even be retrofitted in the E-3C

AGS: AIRBORNE GROUND SUVEILLANCE

The Air Force's Boeing 707-based E-8C STARS (Surveillance Target Attack Radar System) fleet just retired in 2023 after 32 years and 141,000 hours aloft. After years of working on a replacement, the concept was dropped and the funding was refocused on ABMS (Advanced Battle Management System) to integrate existing aircraft and satellite capabilities.

MARITIME PATROL

 Very similar in its role, the Navy's P-8 Poseidon built on a 737 frame, fills the same mission over water to that the E-8C filled over land. Detection and tracking of potential hostiles. However, though based on a civilian aircraft, this plane can also deploy sonobuoys for detecting underwater craft like subs, as well as drop torpedoes. If you're trying to sneak in below the waves, you do not want one of these overhead.

The E-2 Hawkeye is like a cross between the AEW&C of the E-3 Sentry and the E-8 Poseidon, without the sonobuoys and torpedoes. It can also operate from an aircraft carrier. These small planes, along with SeaHawk helicopters, play an essential role in carrier-group safety.

SIGINT (Signals Intelligence)

While all of these aircraft certainly can gather and analyze signals intelligence, the US Army flies a moderately unique aircraft.

The RC-12 Guardrail may have more in common with a porcupine than the Beech King Air passenger plane that uses the same airframe. Intended for work close to the front line, this aircraft can detect and often jam(!) all varieties of signals. From intercepting radio communications to jamming radar homing signals from missiles to even mapping where an opponent's radar system can and can't see so that drones may be sent in along the unprotected pathways, this is an immensely capable little plane.

The new-and-improved version, HADES (High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System), will be built on a Bombardier Global 6500 jet and we can only guess at its capabilities above the battlefield. 

A FEW NON-U.S. PLAYERS

The Saab Globaleye already on the Bombardier 6500 is one of the leading AEW&C aircraft.

Russia's monstrous IL-76 aircraft became the platform for the Beriev A-50 Mainstay aircraft. Almost as rare as the E-4B Nightwatch aircraft, a pair of these have been shot down in the Ukraine War and at least one other badly damaged on the ground. At a probable cost above half-a-billion US dollars each, this is nearly catastrophic.

India, Singapore, and Israel are developing their own smaller aircraft to fill these roles, but nobody is fielding the bewildering variety of aircraft that the US military are keeping aloft.

To read more about the Wedgetail in action and fiction, pick up Wedgetail today.