An algorithm has hacked their B-2s in Iran, and they have the audio
In modern military history there are weapons so sophisticated that for decades they seemed practically impossible to follow or anticipate. However, as satellites, sensors and massive data analysis multiply, the battlefield begins to change. change nature: It is no longer always whoever wins the most advanced plane, but rather whoever is able to interpret before anyone else millions of seemingly unconnected signals. In this new scenario, algorithms begin to play a role that previously only radars had. The bomber that changed war. He B-2 Spirit It is one of the most exclusive and secret pieces of the American arsenal. There are only 20 operational units and each one cost more than 2 billion dollars, making it the most expensive airplane ever built. Its flying wing design eliminates vertical surfaces and reduces to a minimum the signal that bounces off enemy radars. Added to this are radar-absorbing materials, engines hidden within the fuselage and flight profiles designed to remain undetected. The result is a true “bug” capable of penetrating dense air defenses, penetrating deep into enemy territory and attacking strategic objectives. without being seen. For decades, that combination of stealth and range has made the B-2 the silent weapon par excellence from the United States, a platform designed precisely to operate without the adversary even knowing it is there. Epic Fury, the invisible attack on Iran. That capability was tested again when the US Air Force launched four B-2As (identified by the callsigns Petro 41, Petro 42, Petro 43 and Petro 44) to attack Iranian facilities hidden in mountainous complexes during Operation Epic Fury. The mission was part of the coordinated military campaign between Washington and Tel Aviv and was designed to hit high-value targets, including centers linked to the Iranian missile program. The B-2 is designed precisely for those types of operations: fly thousands of kilometers, penetrate advanced air defense systems and launch precision-guided munitions against strategic targets. Its greatest advantage is not speed or firepower, but the stealth. The enemy doesn’t have to intercept it if he doesn’t even know the attack is happening. The Chinese spy: an algorithm. But as we said at the beginning, modern warfare is beginning to introduce a new type of sensor: the software. A Chinese technology company, Jingan Technologyhas announced that its artificial intelligence-based military analysis system (one called Jingqi) detected linked signals to the American deployment weeks before the attack. The system reportedly combines satellite images, flight paths, ship movements, public records and other open sources to reconstruct patterns of military activity. According to the companythis analysis made it possible to identify since January an accumulation of US forces in the Middle East that even exceeded that registered before the Iraq war. The AI would have followed transport aircraft routes, reconnaissance missions and movements of aircraft carrier groups until reconstructing the sequence that led to the military operation. A hole. The most striking statement came after the attack. Jingan assured that his system detected radio communications from the bombers during their return flight, despite the fact that operations of this type are usually carried out under strict silence on radio. The company maintains that it could rebuild the route of the bomber group and even published an audio fragment to support your claim. If this interception is correct, it would imply something much more significant: the weak point would not be in the enemy radar, but in the data ecosystem surrounding the operation. Put another way, the B-2 may be nearly invisible to traditional sensors, but the accumulation of indirect signals (communications, logistics, support movements) can allow trained algorithms to find patterns that previously went unnoticed. Algorithm war. If you like, the episode illustrates the extent to which artificial intelligence is transforming the way to wage war. Analysis systems like the Chinese Jingqi compete with American platforms that also use AI to plan military operations. In the campaign against Iran, Washington used tools like the model Claude by Anthropic and the Maven Smart System developed by Palantir to analyze large data streams and generate attack recommendations. This type of technology makes it possible to reduce in a lot the time needed to identify objectives: processes that could previously take three days are now completed in a matter of hours. The ultimate goal is to compress the entire attack chain (detect, evaluate, hit and re-evaluate) in just minutes. A new front. Plus: artificial intelligence is also altering another front of the conflict, the informative. The proliferation of AI generated videos is starting to make it difficult to distinguish between real and manipulated images on social media. Platforms like X have warned that they will penalize users who share AI-generated war content without warning, after numerous fake videos will begin to circulate during the crisis. Thus, in a scenario like the current one, where algorithms analyze military operationsgenerate propaganda and detect invisible patterns To the human eye, the battlefield is no longer limited to air, sea or land. It is also released in data centers. And in that terrain, even the quietest bomber on the planet can leave traces that no one knew before hear. Image | Jonathan Cutrer, goretexguy In Xataka | The arrival of the B-2s to Iran can only mean one thing: the search for the greatest threat to the United States has begun In Xataka | Iran is planting sea mines in Hormuz. And what threatens to blow up is not ships: it is the world economy