[AmericanInTokyo]

Upshot of original Japanese-language article ('Freepranslation' by "AmericanInTokyo")

--In the late afternoon of 12 February, Japan Time, one of only two USAF RC135-U elint aircraft (nicknamed: 'Combat Sent') arrived at the US Airforce base at Yokota, Japan. Fuji News now has a video of this from our reporter.

--This craft in place to detect North Korean airforce moves as well as any kind of missile launch from North Korea.

--It was used in 1986 from a distance to monitor the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

--The "Combat Sent" adds to the US arsenal suddenly in East Asia from last week, including WC135W aircraft for Kadena (Okinawa), as well as the USS Invincible from Sasebo outbound to monitor any warhead launches from North Korea.

--Japanese military commentators say the US is serious about monitoring any provocative movements by North Korea, missile or otherwise, toward Japan.

(End of synopsis)

(Moderator: Open source)

[HAL9000]

US spy planes active in Okinawa amid nuclear stand-off ['Constant Phoenix' watches North Korea]

[Rain-maker]

Easier this way, here are the direct links to the video.

Just click your favorite format.

 

[ 28.8K ] [ G2 ] [ 300K ]

[Petronski]

Thank you very much, but on my monitor, the tab is red.

[shadowman99]

.

[cake_crumb]

Great video, thank you for the synopsis, and thank you to the government of Japan for injecting a note of rationality into the debate over the recent mechanizations by the Axis of Weasles!

[Marines981]

Oh boy another war. This time with TWO suicide bomber countries.

Lets see who can hold out the longest!

[yonif]

Thank you for your translation.

[Uncle Jaque]

I sure hope they put a couple of fighter escorts up to keep an eye on this unit, or at least have a Carrier close enough to scramble a swarm of them at the first sign of trouble.

What the Chicoms got away with with our P-3 Survailance plane and it's Crew a year or so ago has probably given them some bright ideas.

I would not be so complacent, however, as to allow any Mig to get within air-to-air missle range of said C-135-U, much less let them flirt with one of the inboard engines like the Late Lamented Cpt. Wong-Way was allowed to do.

If anyone thinks that any American craft so hijacked would be returned via diplomacy, let them check on the current location of the USS PUEBLO since early 1968. And if they think that the Crew (any taken alive, that is) would recieve the same hospitality as the PRC afforded the US Navy P-3 Crew, speak with any of the Survivors of the PUEBLO, and see what they went through for about a year. Not to mention the "human sheild" hostages any captives would surely become.

During the "Conflict" (which, by the way, is still in a state of "Truce", having never been resolved) of 1950-3(?) at least one Pilot who had been a former POW of the Kongsan (North Koreans)chose to dive his wounded jet "Kamakaze" style into a NK AA gun emplacement rather than eject and be subjected to a repeat experience.

On the basis of my year in Korea snd conversations with many Veterans of the Conflict, The NK's were (and may still be, as far as I know) reputedly World-Class Masters of the arts of torture, "brainwashing", and espionage.

Infantrymen manning the listening posts along the DMZ told of listening to the loudspeakers over on the NK lines telling calling to them by name, rank, and serial no. (knowing exactly where they were, mentioning their home and family in intimate detail - what school their kids went to, what grade they were in etc.)and telling them where their next assignment would be or of an upcoming promotion - sometimes weeks before the orders arrived.

They said that that sort of thing could kind of get to a fellow after a while.

It seems that the Kongsan have infiltrated the "Educational" institutions of South Korea as well as the Socialists have done to ours. Have you noticed how most if not all of these "Anti-American" Protesters seem to be "Students", while "Pro-American" Demonstrators seem a little older?

These "Students" never had to deal with the reality of Komrade Kongsan as their Grandparents had to when they were overrun in the early '50's, and have no clue, obviously.

But when it comes to "Mind Control", the North Korean Military have few, if any, peer.

It comes as no surprise that the Media over there seems a whole lot more interested in covering stories that tend to support the Communist agenda than the alternatives.
The value of media control, as well as control of a culture's "educational" institutions is hardly lost on the Kongsan.

..At home or abroad.

As to the C-135-U; Roll On, Mates... but watch your butts up there!

[Spook86]

What the article doesn't say is that we maintain a full-time RJ presence in the region, through the basing of two RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft on Okinawa, part of a USAF strategic "wing" based there (may have been downsized to a group or squadron in recent years). At one time, I believe the unit was the 376th Strategic Wing, but the designation may have changed. Would appreciate any correction/update from any former RJ types in the audience. BTW, during my own "crew dog" days, I worked with RJ crews during several operations. Their skill--and the capabilities of their platform--never failed to impress me. The only down side was that it was difficult to get them to "sanitize" some of the stuff they were collecting and pass it on their SECRET-level secure radio network.

Incidentially, the only platform I ever worked with that compared even remotely to RJ was the British Nimrod, configured for SIGINT collection with many of the same systems used on the RC-135. The British back end crews were always helpful and exceptionally skilled....my regards to the airborne SIGINT community from an ex-"Bookshelf" back ender....