F-15E Strike Eagles from the 336th Fighter Squadron, the "Rocketeers," of the 4th Fighter Wing based at Seymour Johnson AFB arrived at Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE on the 14th of June, 2019. The contingent was part of the bolstering of U.S. forces in the region that began in May after still largely undisclosed intelligence warned of potential Iranian aggression throughout the region. We closely examined the official photos showing the arrival of the detachment of Strike Eagles at Al Dhafra Air Base and came away with a noteworthy observation—five out to the six aircraft photographed are carrying AN/ASQ-236 "Dragon's Eye" Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar pods on their centerline stations.

The pod is self-contained and carries a stabilized AESA radar that rotates around the pod's center axis as well as geo-positioning and cooling systems. As such, it can work as a side-looking airborne radar (SLAR), taking high detailed synthetic aperture radar (SAR) maps of an area the Strike Eagle flies parallel too or even over, with near photo-like fidelity. In fact, it is supposedly so sensitive that it can detect roadside and semi-buried IEDs and possibly even groups of people on foot. It is also rumored to be able to generate ground-moving target indicator (GMTI) geolocation data on vehicles, such as trucks and armor, or vessels at sea.

USAF In this image, taken at Al Dhafra AB after the F-15E's arrival, five out of the six F-15Es in the foreground can be seen carrying the pod.

It's also worth noting that AESA arrays have a secondary ability to act as powerful electronic attack nodes. Considering the AN/ASQ-236 is quite mature, it is possible that they have acquired software that would allow them to work in this mode, even if only against a limited set of enemy emitter types. These functions and the jet's multi-role fighter abilities and long-range not only give the F-15E crew the ability to collect very high-quality intelligence in less than friendly neighborhoods, but they can also rapidly acquire very precise targeting information that can be used to sling weapons, like GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs, at those targets. Above all else, they can do this in any weather and under any battlefield conditions. The radar is not affected by the time of day, smoke, or cloud cover. Because of its unique talents and two crew concept of operations, the F-15Es have become manhunters of sorts, able to take out high-value and highly mobile individuals in remote and hostile locales. Their ability to dash at supersonic speed also allows them to reposition and react to changing conditions far quicker than say a MQ-9 Reaper drone. The AN/ASQ-236 has been acknowledged officially since 2009, but it had been in limited testing for years before that. Still, we have never seen a single unit brandish so many at one time. From what we know, the pods remain something of a low-density, high-demand asset. In other words, they are not that plentiful, but they provide high-value capabilities that are often requested by combatant commanders. Other aircraft have been tested with the pod, including the F-16, B-52, and AC-130, but it hasn't been officially adopted by any other platform as of yet.

USAF AN/ASQ-236 Dragon's Eye pod being mounted on a B-52H for testing.