Unlike signal detection systems that focus on the content of the communication, the RC-135U aircraft is tasked with the specific task of identifying and characterizing unknown signatures. That is to build an electronic order of battle. Every radar activation, every missile telemetry test, or every communication exchange that Iran is currently conducting is fed directly into this plane's data collection system. Attempting to track or challenge this aircraft with air defense radars would be particularly counterintuitive - as it would reveal positions, operating frequencies and scan patterns without adequate gain. These are his main areas of interest: radar signatures and operational patterns.

Unlike signal detection systems that focus on the content of the communication, the RC-135U aircraft is tasked with the specific task of identifying and characterizing unknown signatures. That is to build an electronic order of battle. Every radar activation, every missile telemetry test, or every communication exchange that Iran is currently conducting is fed directly into this plane's data collection system. Attempting to track or challenge this aircraft with air defense radars would be particularly counterintuitive - as it would reveal positions, operating frequencies and scan patterns without adequate gain. These are his main areas of interest: radar signatures and operational patterns.

Command and control relationships between military areas.

Missile launch telemetry and thermal or other unwanted signatures.

Communication bridges between Iran's military regions Geometry: At an altitude of about 12,800 meters above the (hypothetical) Kirkuk area, the data collection cone covers about 1,500 km of Iranian land, encompassing Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and extending into neighboring Afghanistan.