The Predator and Global Hawk spy drones have gotten all the attention lately. But manned spy planes are still handling the bulk of surveillance over Iraq.
J-STARS (Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar Systems) planes "will search hundreds of miles of terrain, looking for moving tanks and low-flying aircraft," ABC News reports. "Airborne Warning and Control planes AWACs with rotating 35-foot radar antennas will spot any high-flying Iraqi jets, which have yet to venture into the U.S.-dominated skies. Along with the radar planes, so-called Rivet Joint aircraft will monitor the radio airwaves, eavesdropping on the frequencies used by Iraqi military commanders."
And then, of couse, there's the ageless U-2: nearly fifty years old, and still patrolling the skies at 70,000 feet.
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