Army’s RC-12 Guardrail fleet, the move to a business jet platform offering significantly increased range, operating altitude, onboard power, and payload capacity. Leidos began the development of the LSMA in 2019 as a technology demonstrator for a potential candidate to replace the U.S. Also in the same area was a Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS ground surveillance aircraft. At the same time, an RQ-4 was flying an orbit over the Black Sea to the south of Odessa, having earlier set up a patrol pattern over eastern Ukraine close to the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, and an RC-135W was in an orbit over Poland. This route was flown on February 24, the first day of the major Russian attack on Ukraine.
The aircraft’s routing-as seen on civilian flight-tracking websites-has taken it north into Polish airspace, from where its sensors can peer into western Ukraine and Belarus. The latter has been operating in Europe for some months, and has flown numerous missions during February. Army aerial surveillance assets involved include Beechcraft RC-12K Guardrail aircraft flying from Siauliai in Lithuania, and the ARTEMIS Challenger, which is operating from Constanta International Airport in Romania. Air Force and the UK’s Royal Air Force, flying from Mildenhall and Waddington in England, USAF Lockheed U-2s also flying from England, and by USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned platforms operating from Sigonella, Sicily. The brunt of the effort has been borne by Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint electronic intelligence-gatherers from both the U.S. Since Russian President Vladimir Putin began deploying forces to regions surrounding Ukraine, NATO has stepped up its surveillance activities. Known as the Leidos Special Mission Aircraft (LSMA), the Challenger technology demonstrator is outfitted with the Aerial Reconnaissance and Targeting Exploitation Multi-Mission Intelligence System (ARTEMIS). Army has been flying a special-mission Bombardier Challenger 650 as part of the NATO surveillance effort monitoring the build-up and subsequent operations of Russian forces in and around Ukraine.
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