Once the Lincoln aircraft carrier has been deployed, tactical transmissions have increased in recent days and, since yesterday, EA-11 Bacn aircraft have been in flight to connect military assets to each other, allowing the exchange of information. It is the prelude to an Allied military action
After the US combat group led by the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln redeployed in the Middle East, several signs of pre-war activities are appearing, despite the fact that President Trump recently declared in an interview that the United States is willing to engage diplomatically: “They want to reach an agreement. I know it. They have contacted us on numerous occasions”, said Trump, in the meantime, however, control and analysis operations on Iranian arsenals and troop movements are increasing, with particular attention to anti-aircraft defenses and missile launch stations.
Intelligence activities and limits of satellite observation
These are operations that are not carried out only via satellite, as there are still limits to the performance and possibilities of observation conducted from the limits of the atmosphere and beyond.
The missions of the E-11A “Bacn” aircraft
Yesterday evening, the websites that deal with airplane tracking showed some missions underway by an E-11A “Bacn” aircraft, an acronym that stands for Battlefield airborne communications node, or “High-altitude, long-duration airborne communications node”. It is a US Air Force airplane based on the Bombardier Global 6000 business jet which, to simplify, we can compare to a large flying Wi-Fi modem capable of connecting air, land and sea forces of different Corps and countries, collecting, translating and distributing data, voice and images in complex environments.
Military coordination and possible coalition operation
Operating at high altitudes, it eliminates communication barriers in mountainous or remote areas by unifying radio and data systems that would otherwise be incompatible with each other or unable to connect. The plane was presumably redeployed from Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, where it is part of the 18th Airborne Command and Control Squadron. Its presence in parts of the Southern Mediterranean, particularly north of Cyprus, indicates that any military operations against the Islamic Republic would be conducted by a coalition force, and would probably also involve British and Israeli resources.
Radio broadcasts and “number stations”
Other signals, this time of the radio type, are reaching the antennas of thousands of enthusiasts via short waves: a growing number of “Number stations”, i.e. continuous transmissions of numbers and codes, as well as digital emissions in such a way that to a trained ear are recognisable, although very difficult to be intelligible, as they are encrypted, are also being heard as far away as Northern Italy. They are distributed along the entire spectrum from 2 to 30 MHz, with particular density around 4, 11, 22 and 25 MHz.
Electronic warfare and urgent orders
Other signals on the rise are those of the Ale (Automatic Link Establishment) type for the automatic selection of the best frequency, a fundamental operation for profitably carrying out electronic warfare actions, and there is no shortage of exercises with the emission of Eam-Skyking signals (urgent orders), as well as connections between aircraft and bases.
Digital broadcasts and situational awareness
In the last two decades, with the affirmation of digital technologies, data transmissions have increased considerably, both for reasons of quantity of information exchanged and for reasons of better security. The same happens in the higher frequency bands, typically in the UHF spectrum and on the higher satellite bands. The information that is exchanged is of a different nature, it can be images, videos, geographical positions and much more, and they all contribute to composing and keeping the so-called situational awareness on the battlefield updated.
The possible temporal scenario
All this is prepared and carried out regardless of the final decision to attack, but it constitutes the necessary prelude to it. According to Western analysts, if an attack occurs, it could take place between Saturday 31 January and Sunday 1 February, but there are also those who, learning news directly from military sources, claim that it could take place in the next few hours.
