So... what US or NATO systems were in the area that had the ability to gather the following information? Did we just tip our hand regarding our monitoring systems?
From CNN:
A radar system saw a surface-to-air missile system turn on and track an aircraft right before MH17 was shot down, a senior US official tells CNN’s Barbara Starr.
A second system saw a heat signature at the time the airliner was hit, the official explained.
That leads the U.S. to conclude the Malaysian airline was shot down.
The U.S. is analyzing the trajectory of the missile to try to learn where the attack came from. The U.S. has not determined who was responsible, the source said.
We have satellite systems that can do this; have had them for decades; and yes, the Soviets, and now the Russians know about them.