U.S. Air Force Missile Tracking Ship Slips By

The Singapore air show may be all about aviation, but it’s hard not to notice some of the vessels sailing past the show site, especially when they are decked out with giant radar arrays that are used to track missile tests. Although operated by the U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command’s special mission program, the USNS Howard O. Lorenzen is part of the U.S. Air Force’s missile tracking efforts, which are understood to keep watch on foreign tests such as those recently undertaken by North Korea. In addition to this vessel, which carries the Cobra King X-band/S-band radar system, the U.S. Air Force program includes Boeing RC-135S Cobra Ball aircraft and the Cobra Dane radar based on the Aleutian island of Shemya.