JSTAR tracking and stopping IED killers

Strategy Page:

Since early 2005 the US Air Force has been using a new tool in the battle against IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices). The US Air Force Joint STARS (JSTARS) E-8 aircraft have been constantly active in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002, and has been doing a lot more than just looking at vehicle traffic on the ground.

Last year JSTARS radar aircraft were used to track down terrorist bombers in Iraq. This is done by using the JSTARS radar to track where the attackers go after an attack. Many of the attacks take place in sparely populated places, and at night. JSTARS can track vehicles on the ground over a wide area. For example, a single JSTARS can cover all of central Iraq, although its ground radar can only track a smaller area....

Now JSTARS is being used to detect potential attacks. The post mission analysis of the collected data during an IED attack provides information about the scheme of maneuver before the attack was launched. These collected movement patterns are used to predict such attacks and therefore protect US troops against their effects. In addition the persistent wide area coverage enables US troops to track down the infrastructure behind those attacks. This information helps to destroy the insurgent networks behind the IED attacks....

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