An MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system (UAS) sits in a hangar at Andersen Air Force Base after arriving for a deployment as part of an early operational capability (EOC) test to further develop the concept of operations and fleet learning associated with operating a high-altitude, long-endurance system in the maritime domain. Unmanned Patrol Squadron (VUP) 19, the first Triton UAS squadron, will operate and maintain two aircraft in Guam under Commander, Task Force (CTF) 72. (Senior Airman Ryan Brooks/U.S. Air Force)
CNN: New US drone routes over Black Sea ‘definitely limit’ intelligence gathering, says US official
The US decision to fly its surveillance drones further south over the Black Sea after a Russian jet collided with a US drone earlier this month “definitely limits our ability to gather intelligence” related to the Ukraine war, a senior US military official tells CNN.
Flying drones at greater distances reduces the quality of intelligence they can gather, a US military official explained, noting that spy satellites can compensate to some degree but have shorter times over targets, again reducing effectiveness relative to surveillance drones.
After the Russian jet collided with a US Reaper drone earlier this month, the US began flying its surveillance drones further south and at a higher altitude over the Black Sea than previously, placing them further away from airspace surrounding the Crimean peninsula and eastern portions of the Black Sea.
Read more ....
Update: Drone incident hindered US intelligence gathering related to Ukraine war, says senior military official (First Post)
WNU Editor: i am sure the US will find another way to gather their intelligence.