DID YOU KNOW? ‘Surveillance’ is monitoring a person or place, ‘reconnaissance’ is an observational mission
© WIKIAs well as the shape of the aircraft, radar-
absorbent materials can also be used to make
them less visible. When the waves from the
seeking radar hit it, these coatings can defl ect
the waves and send them in another direction,
or in such a manner that the defl ected waves
cancel out the incoming ones. This renders the
craft practically undiscoverable.
Stealth, speed and strength are all ver y well,
but if a spy plane can’t carr y a decent payload
then it’s not worth its salt. There are countless- Get into position
The plane manoeuvres into the best position to get a clear
signal from the mobile phone in question. It can detect signal
strength and geographical location of the user as well as
obtain identifying information about the phone’s owner.
The unlikely
spy plane
Cessna is a company known for
making light aircraft, the type that
any pleasure pilot would take out
for an afternoon’s fl ight. Yet in
2015 the internet saw an
explosion of reports that the FBI
had outfi tted some of these
nondescript civilian airplanes with
high-tech surveillance gadgetry.
The Cessna 182 ‘Skylane’ is one
such craft, having had the
investigative force of the Bureau
behind its major upgrades; the
thermal imaging and infrared
cameras, night vision technology
plus mobile phone interceptors
are just a few add-ons. These
features help the FBI to follow
on-going investigations targeting
specifi c individuals, as well as
support law enforcement.
These humble planes have also
received high-grade makeovers
from the US Air Force, who have
kitted out a 182 Skylane with
modifi cations to be used in
military training exercises. The
plane has all the intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance
sensors it needs to be able to
mimic that of a Predator
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.The single-engine Cessna 182
Skylane plane is proving an excellent
choice for unobtrusive surveillance“The dirtbox can scan
thousands of phones
before it reaches its
intended target”
Spy planes are
capable of reaching
enormous altitudesThe Global Hawk surveillance
drone has been used in combat
in Iraq and AfghanistanHoming
in
Using this information
from the mobile
phone signal, a
suspect’s location can
then be pinpointed to
within three metres.
The dirtbox can even
help to track a person
down to a specifi c
room in a building.