,
8 tweets,
4 min read
Read on Twitter
There are so many things wrong with what the #USAF is doing here, that are very much not evident to the casual observer.
1) The RC-135 has changed its unique transponder number to 730000 (hex), an Iranian assigned code. So, the USAF is impersonating an Iranian plane.
1) The RC-135 has changed its unique transponder number to 730000 (hex), an Iranian assigned code. So, the USAF is impersonating an Iranian plane.
2) As @GDarkconrad pointed out, this isn't an accident, the USAF did this with Venezuelan codes off the coast of #Venezuela too. US reconnaissance planes are impersonating the codes of the countries they are conducting reconaissance on, endangering future civilian flights.
3) I'm waiting for someone to tell me it's for #OPSEC. Clearly that doesn't work, as Spanish and Canadian citizens have called them out while we're still in out PJs. The Iranians see them plain as day, they're only hiding their activities from the American (and world) public.
4) Tragic irony; on July 3rd 1988 the #USSVincennes #CG49 shot down Iran Air Flight #IR655. The #disinformation that followed fed the U.S. electorate the narrative that the plane was using a transponder of an Iranian Air Force jet.
Nope, the official investigation debunked that.
Nope, the official investigation debunked that.
4) "...but it's a super-secret reconnaissance operation!"
The UK, US, and a host of Baltic countries do reconnaissance near Kaliningrad daily. They frequently/always have their transponder on, and correctly display who/what they are.
Proof? 4hrs ago:
The UK, US, and a host of Baltic countries do reconnaissance near Kaliningrad daily. They frequently/always have their transponder on, and correctly display who/what they are.
Proof? 4hrs ago:
Why do they do that? So they clearly communicate their intentions to the Russian armed forces, and don't get shot down. It's normal, and non-threatening.
Disguising planes and turning off transponders does not communicate intentions clearly to Iran, unless that intention is war.
Disguising planes and turning off transponders does not communicate intentions clearly to Iran, unless that intention is war.
Holy crap. I totally missed the correlation. Wow!
