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Caribbean-Latin America
US P-3B Orion Spy Plane Spotted Over Mexico As SIGINT Ops Target Cartels
2025-03-09
[Zero] President Trump's address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night made it very clear that Mexican drug cartels have been put on notice—the fight may soon be coming to them.

"The cartels are waging war on America, and it's time for America to wage war on the cartels," Trump told lawmakers, referring to the drug death catastrophe claiming 100,000 American lives per year—fueled by Mexican cartels. This is the clearest indication that the president's 'America First' has shifted focus on dismantling cartel command and control networks.

Ahead of the fight against cartels, the US government conducted several signals intelligence (SIGINT) operations near the US-Mexico border using spy planes.

  • Some of these operations include:

  • USAF Spy Plane Runs SIGINT Operation Near Cabo As US Preps For Potential Cartel Fight

  • USAF Spy Jet Flies Second SIGINT Operation On US Border With Focus On Narco Hub

  • Border Czar "Expects" Kinetic Warfare Between US Troops & Mexican Drug Cartels

  • US Designates Mexican Cartels As "Foreign Terrorists," Signaling Financial Warfare Looms

    According to local media outlet Diario CAMBIO22, the latest SIGINT operation involving a US spy plane occurred last week in the southeastern state of Campeche.

    • Posted by:Besoeker

    #7  /\ :-)
    Posted by: Besoeker   2025-03-09 14:56  

    #6  Mapping Mexican and cartel radar/surveillance coverage to establish air corridor/voids for insertion routes to targeted cartel sites?
    Posted by: NoMoreBS   2025-03-09 14:52  

    #5  The P-3 is not a spy plane.

    Searching for Mexican narco-submarines.
    Posted by: SteveS   2025-03-09 09:37  

    #4  Better get rid of those cell phones, hermanos; I know where you can get some pagers cheap; only used once.
    Posted by: Mercutio   2025-03-09 08:54  

    #3  Super Hose,

    There's a P-3 variant, the EP-3, that's outfitted for electronic intel work. The bird that force-landed in China some years back was one of those.

    Mike
    Posted by: MikeKozlowski   2025-03-09 08:09  

    #2  The USN still uses the Orion?

    Thought they switched over to the P-8
    Posted by: badanov   2025-03-09 04:41  

    #1  The P-3 is not a spy plane.
    Posted by: Super Hose   2025-03-09 00:52  

    00:00