Electronic survaillance

Rare glimpse at the secrets of Pine Gap spy base

It's the top secret spy base almost everyone knows exists but very few people get to see.

Now, a group of determined researchers have offered an up-close look at Pine Gap, the humming military citadel in central Australia built to suck data from the skies.

By using zoom lens digital photography and plotting the position in orbit of spy satellites, the researchers have also for the first time documented what they believe to be the function of the dozens of dishes, radar domes and antennae that bristle across base.

The findings, released in a report by the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability and led by renowned Australian defence academic Des Ball, chart the expansion of Pine Gap from its Cold War origins to monitor nuclear threats to suspected key role in deadly drone warfare of today.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/rare-glimpse-at-the-secrets-of-pine-gap-spy-base-20160226-gn51oa.html#ixzz41fgBiYnA