Sunday, October 25, 2009

B-52 Bombers At Sea?

The B-52 Stratofortress, a heavy bomber.Image via Wikipedia

National Defense Magazine recently reported that the United States Air Force is using B-52 bombers to monitor suspicious vessels approaching U.S. ports. According to the June 2009 report, the planes have flown several missions to take pictures of ships approaching U.S. waters.

The article also described the debate over LRIT and AIS. The Government Accountability Office questioned (link to pdf) whether these two systems were redundant. One thing most mariners can agree on is that you can't have too many systems in place when it comes to safety at sea. That is why Amver, despite being 51 years old, continues to see record numbers of vessels on plot.

What do you think? Is too much attention being placed on maritime surveillance and too little on safety?


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