86 // JULY 2018 #364 http://www.airforcesmonthly.comColumn Commander’s Update Briefing
he acronym ISTAR
stands for intelligence,
surveillance, target
acquisition and reconnaissance,
and is sometimes shortened to
ISR – target acquisition is often
omitted either as superfluous or
perhaps to avoid any association
with direct weapon employment.
In simple terms, ISR or ISTAR is
the gathering of information in order
to inform a better understanding
of a situation. And this is quite a
critical distinction, as the gathering
of data alone can be next to useless
unless it’s processed and fused
with all other related ‘product’,
with the relevant items extracted
and passed quickly so they can
be used in a timely fashion. This
is sometimes known as theISTAR
Airborne ISTAR
assets serve as
the ‘eyes and ears’
of the modern
military, providing
commanders with
critical information
about activity on the
ground, in the air and
at sea. Air Marshal
(ret’d) Greg Bagwell
CB CBE, President
of the Air Power
Association, outlines
a key element of
contemporary
warfare.Above: An RAF Typhoon FGR4 in No XI (Fighter) Squadron markings takes off
for Libya from Gioia del Colle, southern Italy, during Operation Ellamy. While
it carries ASRAAMs on the outer wing stations and Paveway II guided bombs
under the wings, the Litening pod below the fuselage provides an ISTAR
capability. Crown Copyright Below: RAF Sentinel R1 ZJ692 of No 5 (Army
Cooperation) Squadron at an airfi eld in the Middle East. Air Cdre Johnny
Stringer – UK Air Component Commander from October 2016 until October
2017 – described the type’s service in Operation Shader as “phenomenal”.
Data gathered has been a starting point for more focused intelligence
collection, which is so important in this type of confl ict. Crown CopyrightT
‘The real ISTAR
game-changer could
be the use of artifi cial
intelligence (AI) that
will be able to perform
the vast majority of the
processing function,
quickly, while fusing
multiple sources’