British and US reconnaissance aircraft carry out regular missions on the fringes of Ukrainian airspace, where RAF sources say they can monitor Russian communications on the battlefield, the Times of London reported.
The information collected by the three RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint electronic surveillance aircraft, also known as Airseekers, is passed on to analysts at the Defense Department (DI) based at the Ministry of Defense in London, who combine it with other information to calculate the next moves of Vladimir Putin.
Aircraft use sensors to receive communications and can detect where signals are coming from, helping to form a picture of what is happening in the field.
Theoretically, the crew could intercept radio broadcasts from a troop of troops a few hundred kilometers away, sources said. A RAF source added that they could “catch” conversations from a distance, depending on the transmitter. Translators analyze broadcasts, sending the latest information to analysts in London.
Publicly available flight trackers indicate that Rivet Joint operations have intensified near Ukraine in recent months. A RAF Rivet Joint was flying over Poland on Friday. The US also has such aircraft.
The analysis of all the data is done by a group of military intelligence officers based in the building of the British Ministry of Defense who work day and night to verify the battle plan of Russia.
According to the Times, the DI gave the British government and its international partners around the world an early warning of Russia’s intention to invade Ukraine, many months before the conflict began.
Since the invasion began, the DI has delivered “almost real-time updates” to the government, foreign allies and, for the first time, to the public on how the conflict is unfolding.
When it comes to assistance to Ukraine on the battlefield, the information gives its armed forces an advantage over the Russians, according to analysts.
Russian forces are also under-equipped, with Western officials saying some of them use commercial radios and telephones to communicate, which are easier to intercept.
Source: Capital
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