How a Chinese company said it used AI to track US bomber movements over Iran

A Chinese company has tried to use AI analysis to track US aerial refuelling missions to detect the strike patterns of bombers over Iran.MizarVision, a private geospatial intelligence firm, published a report earlier this month analysing the activities of US KC-135 and KC-46 tanker aircraft during Operation Epic Fury.The report detailed critical links between known tanker movements and strikes against Iranian targets.Analysts said the tankers could be tracked through Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast signals, which are used to locate aircraft. Tankers are the most commonly tracked type of military aircraft.However, bombers are highly unlikely to broadcast ADS-B signals during operational flights so the firm then tried to match the location of the tankers with known or suspected bomber movements – something that is difficult to track. It was not clear what role artificial intelligence played in the process.The firm had previously conducted a month-long monitoring effort, which also used satellite imagery documenting the deployment of various US military assets across the Middle East.