Sent by a customer of ours that reads the forums here but isn't a member- I have changed a few things and CAPITALIZED THEM to help him keep his opsec.
Thanks Tim appreciate the insight!
So 12 years ago or so I was downrange and got to see a live feed from a drone on a firefight in a country FAR FAR AWAY. Anyway, won't disclose where or other details, but saw it with my own eyes. Can't speak to the outcome, but watched it like a live video game.
At the time, the thermal cameras had good enough resolution from 5,000 feet (might have been more, wasn't paying attention to that fact, but that's the minimum they tend to fly at) to distinguish what kind of weapons were being used by the muzzle blast. I.E. M4 versus AK versus PKM. Humans were blobs, but you could see the legs and arms clearly. OPSEC DELETED Standard electro-optical was out since it was nighttime and all you could see were flashes and explosions, but could clearly see them. And using a laser to designate targets for a gun run by an AC-130.
All this from a live satellite feed in an air conditioned trailer a couple of countries over. With the claim they could do it from the States if they wanted (and did from time to time since the base of operations was their back up). And a decade ago so you bet the technology is probably far better now.
At the time, the thermal cameras had good enough resolution from 5,000 feet (might have been more, wasn't paying attention to that fact, but that's the minimum they tend to fly at) to distinguish what kind of weapons were being used by the muzzle blast. I.E. M4 versus AK versus PKM. Humans were blobs, but you could see the legs and arms clearly. OPSEC DELETED Standard electro-optical was out since it was nighttime and all you could see were flashes and explosions, but could clearly see them. And using a laser to designate targets for a gun run by an AC-130.
All this from a live satellite feed in an air conditioned trailer a couple of countries over. With the claim they could do it from the States if they wanted (and did from time to time since the base of operations was their back up). And a decade ago so you bet the technology is probably far better now.
Comment