Innocence is the nice thing when someone wanted to work undercover.

E6B-TACAMO
(U.S Navy)

Kimmo Huosionmaa

There have been writings about the massive drone-attacks to Syria, and there was mentioned that E-6  communication outpost has been seen near the coast of Syria, and this is the thing, what everybody doesn't know. The E-6 is actually TACAMO (Take A Command And Move Out)-communication system, what communicates normally with the U.S NAVY "Trident" fleet submarines. Those communication outposts also prove their communication systems for supporting the drone-operations.


And some E-6 TACAMO platforms have been modified to control the drone swarms because their equipment is very suitable for those missions. The high power communication systems, what has the capacity to support the tactical data communication between ground troops, manned airplanes, drones and naval units.  The first missions for those highly sophisticated airplanes have been to guarantee the SLBM-fleet communication between headquarters submarines.

QF-16 Drone
(USAF)

But later those communication outposts or flying headquarters have been used as supporting the communication with special forces and conventional troops, and the last mission for those planes have been controlling the drone swarms and their co-operation between manned aircraft and drones. The communication platforms can be operated by remote control, by using remote interfaces and advanced autopilots, and if the command outpost works like this, the operators will sit in some military base, and they will operate the computers and other equipment of that platform thru the satellites, and this is the way, what allows to hide any losses, what happens in the field. There are also many more drones than "Predators".

Also, QF-15, QF-16, and QF-18 what are those planes remotely controlled versions are used in the operations in the same way that the Predators have been used, but those airplanes what are built the wrecks, what normally used as the missile targets are used as the "kamikaze"-missions. In those missions, the target drone will simply fly to the target, with the bombs on. If the enemy doesn't notice the that the attacking plane is the drone,  that thing might make them the nasty surprise.


There are actually the drone-version of the famous A-10 "Thunderbolt II" tank buster, and the remote control will give the capacity of the plane to fly with high-risk operations without danger pilots life, and that might feel brutal slaying. But as we know the war is not game, and the minimizing own losses are the key rule of the military leaders. But as we see the communication outposts are not so innocent as we might think, because they can operate drones in all combat area.