TechTrack Russian military planes with ease. It's no secret anymore

Track Russian military planes with ease. It's no secret anymore

Russian fighter Su-35
Russian fighter Su-35
Images source: © PAP | SERGEI ILNITSKY

11:43 AM EST, December 5, 2023

The movements of the Russian military are no longer shrouded in secrecy. Brady Africk from the American Enterprise Institute think tank has discovered a method to track Russian military planes using publicly available satellite imagery. This method is readily accessible to anyone interested, right from the comfort of their own home.

Russian aviation poses a significant threat to Ukrainian forces. Barely a week passes by without hearing about attacks on military facilities and civilian infrastructure.

Projections appear far from optimistic. Despite facing challenges within its industry, Russian military aviation has recently integrated another batch of Su-35 and Su-57 planes. There've been rumors lately about deploying the top fifth-generation fighter Su-57 into combat.

Tracing Russian planes: how is it done?

The trajectories of Russian planes can be easily tracked. Brady Africk from the American Enterprise Institute think tank has proposed an innovative method that provides a straightforward way to trace the movement of Russian military planes across Russian and Ukrainian airspace.

The European platform, ESA Copernicus, facilitates the tracking of planes by providing free access to satellite images. Primarily, this project was launched to support environmental preservation, public protection, and security operations.

Brady Africk showcased an analysis of a near-infrared photograph, capturing the flight of a Russian combat plane over Ukrainian territory. Interestingly, the object maintained visibility to observers even amidst complete cloud cover.

A helpful tool for both military strategists and aviation enthusiasts

The proposed method will undoubtedly aid in analyzing previous aircraft attacks and predicting future Russian maneuvers. It's worth mentioning that the ESA Copernicus images allow virtually real-time tracking of Russian aviation movements, free of charge and without leaving the house. Military strategists and enthusiasts engaged in OSINT technology (intelligence collection based on publicly available sources) can benefit from this platform. However, it's worth noting that this is a public resource, so the Russians have the potential to use the platform as well.