C. Wiebes - Intelligence en de oorlog in Bosnië 1992-1995. De rol van de inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten - Engels

283and has provided policy-makers with intelligence by photographing targets and objects. For example,the U-2 and the later version, the TR-1, flew over 800 missions during the crisis in the Persian Gulf in1990 and 1991. It comes in various versions, not least the U-2R (Comint version), which collectsinformation on enemy radar systems. Another model of the U-2R carries out Elint assignments as wellas photographic reconnaissance. The production figures are a state secret, but it is likely that manyversions were built of the U-2 and the TR-1. 1501According to various sources the U-2s which were active above Bosnia sent ‘imaging radar datavia satellite links’ for processing and analysis to their home base, the 99 th Reconnaissance Squadron atBeale Air Force Base, California. Beale then sent the processed intelligence back to the commanders inBosnia. 1502 The U-2s were fitted with special radar equipment for taking photos night and day at analtitude of around 30 kilometres, regardless of the weather. The resolution of the photos was around2.87 metres. 1503 However, one can have some doubts about this. The radar-version of the U-2, whichflew over Bosnia was probably pulled from duty in Korea only in October-November 1995. A problemwas also on having the available satellite bandwidth for relay of the imagery. Downlinking to a groundstation was the conventional approach, but nobody wanted to put such a ground station within thefootprint in Bosnia. The satellite uplink was the only solution, and that wasn’t available until the UStroop deployments began in October-November 1995, which jacked up the priority as the DaytonAccords took shape. In addition, there was probably never adequate data storage on-board the aircraftto hold the radar imagery for later analysis. 1504Some aircraft, including the U-2R, were equipped with sophisticated video systems andproduced near-real-time Imint. The U-2s have a range of over 11,000 kilometres and a cruising speedof 700 kilometres per hour. Their cameras presently have a resolution of 35-45 centimetres. The U-2missions over Bosnia were usually launched and recovered in 1995 from RAF Alconbury inEngland. 1505 No missions over Bosnia were flown from the RAF base at Akrotiri on Cyprus. U2 flightsout of Akrotiri flew missions in support of the treaty commitments from the Camp David Accords inGolan Heights and elsewhere in the Israel-Arab theatre. 1506 One of the recipients of the U-2 product in1995 was the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) at the air-force base in Vicenza (Italy). The U-2s were managed by the Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office (DARO) in Washington. 1507Although the U-2 activities were stepped up after the Dayton Accord, when US ground troopsarrived in Bosnia, U-2 aircraft were already operational above the enclaves in the spring and summer of1995 and delivered considerable amounts of Imint. Each U-2 flight was not meticulously chartedbeforehand on the basis of intelligence requirements and targets but they did fly a huge pattern overBosnia each time, and took pictures of everything that wasn’t cloud covered. If there was a requirementfor an unusual, special target area, such as Srebrenica, then they would amend their flight path asneeded. In general, they had only a few flight patterns, each of which was submitted and approved to aspecial reconnaissance command element in Washington. The flight pattern was divided into ‘boxes’.After take-off (from the UK) the Polaroid camera was activated. A full mission delivered between 9and 11 kilometres of film, which was analysed in small sections on a priority basis and priority basishere means less than one day. Sometimes, the U-2s flew over Bosnia twice a week. If the first flight was1501 Polmar and Allen, Spybook, pp. 561 - 563.1502 Graig Covault, ‘USAF U-2 Satcom Link Employed in Bosnia Operation’, Aviation Week and Space Technology, 26/02/96, p.26.1503 Gert Kromhout, ‘Op de grens van lucht en ruimte’ (At the border between air and space), De Vliegende Hollander, (1997)3, pp. 12 - 15 and Gert Kromhout, ‘Overwerk voor de Dragon Lady’ (Overtime for the Dragon Lady), ARMEX. 81 (March1997), p. 25.1504 Confidential information (80).1505 Richelson, U.S. Intelligence, pp. 158 - 159.1506 Confidential information (80).1507 In 1996 the U-2s were stationed at the French air base of Istres, near Marseilles. They originally came from the RAFFairford base in England. In August 1995 a U-2 crashed near Fairford. See: ‘U.S. Spy Plane Crashes’, The New York Times,30/08/95.