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Title: What Nation Just Built An "Unprecedented" Spy Radar Base In Cuba?
Source:
ZeroHedge
URL Source: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018 ... recedented-spy-radar-base-cuba
Published: Jun 9, 2018
Author: Tyler Durden
Post Date: 2018-06-09 18:39:53 by Hondo68
Keywords: Niki Haley, Bolton, May, Macron, Donnell, Lindsey, FUKUS terrorists
Views: 2385
Comments: 19
According to a new surveillance report from The Diplomat, exclusive satellite imagery from March 2017 to May 2018 reveals a newly expanded “signals intelligence” military facility near Bejucal, Cuba. The report focuses on a massive radome sitting on top of an elevated concrete mounting structure. From satellite imagery, the structure looks like a giant golf ball, but it is actually a protective dome housing a super sophisticated radar antenna inside. As mentioned by The Diplomat, this radome is the first of its kind among the various spy antennas at Bejucal, which have been used to intercept electronic communications, ballistic missile monitoring, and tracking of satellites from the United States. The most perplexing question American military strategists are now asking: who the hell provided the financing to build a new spy base in this third world country? Newly constructed radome at Bejucal signals intelligence facility, Cuba. (Source: Victor Robert Lee & Digital Globe) The Diplomat provides more satellite imagery that shows the construction of the radome near the town of Bejucal between March 2017 and February 2018. While the function of the new radome is unknown from current satellite images, there is an understanding that similar antennas have been used for signals interception, missile tracking, satellite uplinks and downlinks, radio communications, tracking of objects in space, and in some cases to disrupt satellite communications, The Diplomat explained. A time sequence of the construction of radome containing parabolic antenna at Bejucal sigint facility. (Source: Victor Robert Lee & Digital Globe) The Diplomat pointed out a significant clue about the new radome: “The difference in size and architecture of the new radome antenna structure compared to the stand-alone parabolic dish installations present over the past ten years at Bejucal indicates a new level of investment in such facilities; the source of this investment is not clear.“ Partial view of signals intelligence facility at Bejucal, Cuba showing locations of the new radome and newly added smaller antennas. (Source: Victor Robert Lee & Digital Globe) The Diplomat details how Russian and the Chinese governments have pivoted to enhancing their military and economic investments in Cuba. In 2014, President Vladimir Putin wrote off 90 percent of the $32 billion Cuba owed on the Soviet-era debt. Now Russia is considering reviving its military base in Cuba. “The governments of both Russia and China have recently signaled their intent to augment military and economic investments in Cuba. In 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote off approximately 90 percent of the $32 billion Cuba owed on Soviet-era debt. In the same year, a Russian member of parliament stated that Russia would re-establish the sort of collaboration with Cuba it had had at the Lourdes signals intelligence site south of Havana during the Cold War (Lourdes was shut down in 2001). The Russian administration denied this shortly afterward, but in 2016 a senior Russian defense official suggested Russia was considering reopening a military base in Cuba. The Russian signals intelligence ship Viktor Leonov docked at the port of Havana in 2014, 2015, 2017, and most recently in March 2018, following a reconnaissance patrol along the southeast coast of the U.S. that included an excursion within 20 nautical miles of the Kings Bay submarine base in Georgia. In 2017 Russia completed a new satellite communications ground station not far from Cuba, in Nicaragua, purportedly for GPS-type signals, but other uses cannot be ruled out.” Interesting enough, China is Cuba’s most significant international creditor and trading partner. Several Chinese companies have announced major development plans in Cuba over the last several years. “Cuba’s largest international creditor and trading partner is China, which recently made a $120 million development loan for a container port at Santiago de Cuba. In the past three years, several Chinese companies have announced investments in production and research facilities in Cuba, as well as a proposed $460 million golf course near Havana.” As there is limited evidence via the satellite imagery indicating Beijing is behind the radome construction, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio warned in 2016 that Beijing and Cuba were working on a program to improve the island’s electronic surveillance spy bases. “These followed a state visit to Cuba by China’s President Xi Jinping in 2014, in which he met with then-president Raúl Castro as well as the ailing Fidel Castro. Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang visited in 2016, meeting with both Castro brothers and signing 20 cooperation agreements between the two countries. Reciprocal visits by high-level Cuban and Chinese military leaders took place in 2015-2017. There is scant public evidence that Beijing is behind the new radome at Bejucal, but U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, a member of the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations as well as the Select Committee on Intelligence, identified China in 2016 as being active in Cuba-based electronic surveillance of the U.S. by referring publicly to “this Chinese listening station in Bejucal.” In February, we covered a surveillance imagery report from an undisclosed source, most likely from the Philippine National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), given to the Philippine Daily Inquirer as a treasure trove of new surveillance images which depicts Beijing’s drive to militarize the heavily disputed artificially-created islands it controls in the South China Sea. As shown below, the Chinese radome in the South China Sea (right) and the Cuban radome (left) look very similar in design. And lastly, the Cuban government has been reported to have a long history of selling its intercepted data of U.S. communications to third-party buyers, said The Diplomat. In the visual below, there is a reason to believe the new radome could spy on USAF airbases, U.S. Central Command, and even as far as Washington, D.C. Which begs the question, was it Russia or China that financed the spy antenna? Upgraded Cuban sigint base at Bejucal has an advantageous location for interacting with U.S. military and civilian communications. (Source: Victor Robert Lee & Digital Globe)
Poster Comment: Someone's got to keep an eye on Bibi's terrorist agitators I suppose.
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#1. To: hondo68 (#0)
who is 'Bibi'?
I worked on tracking stations for over a decade, both within and without radomes, all over the world. The presence or absence of a radome means absolutely nothing per se, and they ALL, or almost all, look very similar to each other due to their triangular-panel, microwave-transparent construction. It's just a simple, reliable, cost-effective way to build them. They're geodesic domes; just google some images. The fact that a Chinese station looks similar to a Cuba station means squat. Maybe they can come up with better facts to establish a Chinese origin but a radome certainly does not. And if their scale bar is anywhere near accurate, this is a tiny 5-meter dish. Useful, but not exactly high-resolution or bandwidth. Small ones can move like a bat out of hell, though; that's useful for tracking nearby launches or very low-flying satellites. Of course, I'd have to consult the microwave gearheads to grasp the state of the art - it's been a while for me on one of these structures. I'm sure the size required for a given performance spec has been reduced considerably as the satellites and amplifiers have improved.
Donald's boss.
You misspelled "Our nation's good friend and faithful ally, as well as the only normal nation for many hundreds of miles around, surrounded by threatening bullshit Mooslum deathcult shitholes."
I did not know God looked like Netanyahu? ;) BTW other than recognizing a new capitol what has Trump done for Israel?
A record number of drone strikes far exceeding anything Obama ever dreamed of. Missile strikes on Syria at least twice in support of the Hillary/McCain White Helmet ISIS fighters, plus other attacks on the Syrian Army who are trying to kill the US/Israel sponsored terrorists. HUGE cash & weapons aid directly to Israel. Refueling and support for Saudi-Israel attacks on Yemen, and much much more.
You mean he is cleaning up Obama's crap, again? Fighting Islamic nuts? If he eats kosher food does that make him a Jewish slave? Sometimes Israel's interest coincides with US interest and sometimes Russia's interest coincides with US interest. Not everything is a conspiracy!
Moos gotta go. Time for Allah the Pigraper to die alongside his bullshit deathcult fake "religion".
No no, you've got it backwards, President Trump is fighting for the Islamic Nuts, aiding ISIS for regime change by overthrowing Assad and the legitimate Syrian government. It's Hillary/Kerry and Obama's dream, and President Trump is fighting in support of their terrorist "democratic rebels" (ISIS).
I see Trumps enemies. I see our enemies. So?
Triple it. So they can wipe out more Muslims and reclaim their land. We need to give them enough money to destroy every mosque.
MY question is "WHY would Russia or China spend the bucks to build a spy satellite station in Cuba,when they already have subs and surface ships,as well as aircraft patrolling offshore gathering info? Not to mention all those Chinese "students" going to technical schools here.
In the entire history of the world,the only nations that had to build walls to keep their own citizens from leaving were those with leftist governments.
Merry Christmas from Bashir & Vlad Donald & Bibi's Islamic terrorists will never stop Syrians from saying Merry Christmas!
So that's why Hillary and Kerry support Trump.
You really are dumb aren't you.
https://cubaconfidential.wordpress.com/tag/signals-intelligence-sigint/ New Enhancements at Cuba’s Primary Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) Base Suggests Improved Targeting of United States Tags: Antennas, Bejucal, Communications Intelligence (COMINT), Radio Electronic Combat (REC), Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) Satellite Images: A (Worrying) Cuban Mystery The new radome in Cuba is unprecedented. Who is behind it? By Victor Robert Lee, The Diplomat.com Satellite images from February and May 2018 show a newly constructed radome on the signals intelligence base near Bejucal, Cuba. Its protective dome and elevated mounting make it the first of its kind among the numerous long-standing SIGINT antennas at Bejucal, which have been used to intercept electronic communications from the United States. The new steerable parabolic antenna and its spherical enclosure (together called a radome) were erected on a site adjacent to other known Cuban surveillance antennas south of Havana near the town of Bejucal between March 2017 and February 2018. The functions of the new antenna are not discernible from the current satellite images, but similar antennas have been employed for signals interception, missile tracking, satellite uplinks and downlinks, radio communications, tracking of objects in space, and in some cases to disrupt satellite communications. The radome, approximately 6-7 meters in diameter, sits atop a square building approximately 11-12 meters wide. If the antenna can be tilted to horizontal – a common capability – its elevated position could also enable direct communications with vessels at sea or other signal sources on the horizon. The Bejucal signals intelligence site had a relatively static number of parabolic antennas –approximately two dozen– from 2010 until 2016, and only one of them, considerably smaller than the new radome, was covered, although such coverings are common in many other nations, particularly at facilities with military or intelligence functions. Such specialized coverings can protect from weather and wear, but another advantage is that they conceal the orientation, and thus the possible purposes, of the antenna within. Satellite images of the signals intelligence base near Bejucal also show that two smaller steerable parabolic antennas were installed in April-May 2017, the same period as the beginning of construction of the new radome. These antennas, located 460 meters south of the newly constructed radome, are linked by above-ground conduits to two other antennas installed as recently as May 2016. I believe the dome enclosure, without the antenna, is called a radome. The radome is the enclosure, and the antenna is what it is designed to enclose. http://www.radomeservices.com/what-is-a-radome/ A radome is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a radar system or antenna and is constructed of material that minimally attenuates the electromagnetic signal transmitted or received by the antenna. Radomes protect antenna surfaces from weather and/or conceal antenna electronic equipment from public view. There are specialized radome manufacturers who provide radomes for all types applications including for weather radar, air traffic control, satellite communications, and telemetry. Radomes can be manufactured in many shapes and sizes. The particular application or frequency determines the use of a variety of construction materials. Radome Services LLC crews are experienced with all types, including dielectric, space frame, composite, and air inflatable radomes that are mounted on the ground, towers, roof tops and on board ships. - - - - - - - - - - There is no evidence provided of what is inside. That is the point of the radome. The antenna cannot be seen. One small 6-7 meter radome, with or without an antenna inside, constitutes a base? Of course, there is Lourdes, the old Russian facility. https://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/cuba/lourdes.htm Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) facility 22°59'00"N 82°27'47"W Russia will reopen an intelligence base in Cuba that closed in 2001, according to Russian media reports on 16 July 2014. The newspaper Kommersant claimed an agreement to resume operations at the Lourdes base, which was once a leading source of Cold War-era electronic surveillance on the United States, was made during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Havana a few days earlier. The Russian newspaper Kommersant quoted Cuban President Raul Castro as saying that up to 75 percent of Moscow's intelligence on the United States came from the base. Russian President Vladimir Putin denied media reports that he will reopen a Soviet-era base in Cuba used to spy on the United States. Putin said there are no plans to resume operations at the Lourdes signals intelligence facility near Havana, after Russian media first reported a day earlier that the two countries provisionally agreed to the deal last week. "Russia is capable of fulfilling the defense capacity tasks without this component [Lourdes]," Putin told state-owned ITAR-TASS news agency toward the end of a six-day tour of Latin America. During the Cold War Cuba had an agreement with Russia which allows Moscow to maintain a signals intelligence facility near Havana at Torrens [23°00'01"N 82°28'56"W], also known as Lourdes, which was the largest Russian SIGINT site abroad. The strategic location of Lourdes makes it ideal for gathering intelligence on the United States. It has been reported that the Lourdes facility is the largest such complex operated by the Russian Federation and its intelligence service outside the region of the former Soviet Union. The Lourdes facility is reported to cover a 28 square-mile area with 1,000-1,500 Russian engineers, technicians, and military personnel working at the base during the late Cold War. Experts familiar with the Lourdes facility confirmed that the base has multiple groups of tracking dishes and its own satellite system, with some groups used to intercept telephone calls, faxes, and computer communications, in general, and with other groups used to cover targeted telephones and devices. [snip]
Who'd be stupid enough to believe anything those liars say? Ohh, Noluspam thinks that Jeb! and Hillary oppose Trump. Kubaki theater, for the Nolu Rubes.
Is that why you posted a photo of Globalist McStain, who was 0bama's envoy/bag-man to ISIS? It's Hillary/Kerry and Obama's dream, and President Trump is fighting in support of their terrorist "democratic rebels" (ISIS). Stunning. Your space ship must have veered off course juuust a bit. By a gazillion miles. From where do you derive your sense of "truth" political acumen? No, seriously.
Please don't ask Hondo to do that kind of complicated math.
Someone's got to keep an eye on Bibi's terrorist agitators I suppose.
#2. To: hondo68 (#0)
(Edited)
#3. To: Justified (#1)
#4. To: hondo68 (#3)
(Edited)
Donald's boss.
#5. To: hondo68 (#3)
#6. To: Justified, *Neo-Lib Chickenhawk Wars* (#5)
what has Trump done for Israel?
#7. To: hondo68 (#6)
#8. To: hondo68 (#6)
They've had hundreds of years to get their shit together. Enough.
#9. To: Justified, ISIS Don, Islamic Nut support, Regime Change (#7)
Fighting Islamic nuts?
GOP supporters of Hillary/Kerry/Obama "Freedom Fighter" terrorists in Libya. Regime Change. 
McCain presents medal to US backed terrorist in Libya.
#10. To: hondo68 (#9)
#11. To: hondo68 (#6)
HUGE cash & weapons aid directly to Israel.
#12. To: Hank Rearden (#2)
#13. To: A K A Stone (#11)
Syria's Christians Back Assad
#14. To: hondo68 (#9)
It's Hillary/Kerry and Obama's dream, and President Trump is fighting in support of their terrorist "democratic rebels" (ISIS).
#15. To: hondo68 (#13)
#16. To: hondo68 (#0)
June 8, 2018
[Victor Robert Lee, The Diplomat.com article] The new steerable parabolic antenna and its spherical enclosure (together called a radome)
What is a Radome?
[Thread article] it is actually a protective dome housing a super sophisticated radar antenna inside.
[Thread article] The most perplexing question American military strategists are now asking: who the hell provided the financing to build a new spy base in this third world country?
Lourdes [Cuba]
#17. To: nolu chan, Hillary Jeb Kerry Trump Obama, Regime Change (#14)
So that's why Hillary and Kerry support Trump.
#18. To: hondo68 (#9)
No no, you've got it backwards, President Trump is fighting for the Islamic Nuts, aiding ISIS...
#19. To: nolu chan, hondo68 (#14)
So that's why Hillary and Kerry support Trump.
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