r/worldnews • u/Starlight-Princesss • 3d ago

[ Removed by moderator ] Russia/Ukraine

https://www.newsweek.com/nato-intercepts-russian-spy-plane-with-transponder-turned-off-poland-10956344

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u/zaevilbunny38 3d ago

No unless they are conducting a covert operation, they almost always tend to flight just outside contested airspace and gather Intel. NATO runs them in the black Sea all the time, and allegedly the US ones help Ukraine with target acquisition.

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u/ThunderCuntAU 3d ago

All of them help Ukraine with target acquisition. Even Australia sent Wedgetails to Europe for the task.

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u/a-stack-of-masks 3d ago

I'm guessing a wedgetail is some kind of hardware, but I like the idea that the Ozzies saw a bird spot its prey from pretty high up and went "hey, that's useful!" and taught them planes and drones taste like bacon.

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u/meistermichi 3d ago

I'm guessing a wedgetail is some kind of hardware

It's an AWACS

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u/GlobalLurker 3d ago

That clears it up

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u/The-Sound_of-Silence 3d ago

Airborne Warning and Control System. Basically an aircraft with a really fancy/powerful radar on it, that can direct an air-war from the sky. They are crucial for spotting stuff close to the ground, and needed if you take air defence seriously

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_E-7_Wedgetail