Land-Based Navy Planes Gather SIGINT

One of the nation's premier signals intelligence collection platforms is the U.S. Navy's EP-3E Aries aircraft,a modified P-3 Orion loaded with SIGINT capabilities.The Lockheed Martin plane intercepts;collects;exploits;fuses;identifies;and disseminates SIGINT in support of joint,theater and fleet command tasking.A crew of 24 on the EP-3E collects and fuses SIGINT information and disseminates it for direct threat warning;information dominance;battlespace situational awareness;air defense supression;and anti-air and anti-submarine warfare applications.The 16 EP-3E Aries aircraft have been thoroughly upgraded over their lifespans through incremental programs that have provided automated electronic surveillance;ForceNET classified network connectivity;and SIGINT sensor capabilities.The aircraft are based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island,Washington and are operated by two fleet air reconaissance squadrons.Lockheed Martin(LMT)