Military aircraft and AIS vessels on the intel map.
Two new monitored layers on the Intel Desk map: military aircraft tracks from ADS-B feeds with sortie-rate analysis, and provider-dependent AIS vessel context for tankers, cargo and military vessels around the Strait of Hormuz when qualifying positions are available.
What shipped
The intel map now carries two monitored layers. The first is military aircraft, ADS-B and MLAT context for US, coalition and regional military airframes, filtered to the CENTCOM area of responsibility. The second is provider-dependent AIS vessel context for tankers, cargo ships and military vessels across the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, Bab el-Mandeb, the Red Sea and the Bosphorus. Coverage and freshness are shown beside the layer; an empty window means no qualifying positions were received, not zero traffic.
- Aircraft layer. Military transponder hex codes and ICAO registrations are classified by type (tanker, ISR, strike, airlift). Tracks are retained for the last 24 hours so analysts can step back through a day's sorties.
- Sortie-rate analysis. The desk computes a rolling sortie rate by airframe class, tanker launches out of Al Udeid, ISR loiters over the northern Gulf, strike CAP rotations, and flags unusual spikes against a baseline.
- AIS vessel layer. When the upstream provider supplies a qualifying position, tankers, LNG carriers, container ships and military vessels render with type-specific icons. Clicking a marker gives name, flag, IMO/MMSI, type, last-known speed and heading, and destination if broadcast.
- Chokepoint bounding boxes. Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, Suez and the Bosphorus are retained as named bounding boxes so qualifying provider positions can be grouped by corridor.
Why this matters
When coverage is available, Gulf stories can be cross-checked against what is physically in the air or on the water. A tanker launch spike out of Al Udeid preceding a headline is a very different signal from a headline with no matching air activity. Provider-supplied vessel tracks around Hormuz can add context to a reported diversion, but a silent AIS window is disclosed rather than treated as proof of no traffic. The goal of these layers is to let analysts make that call without leaving the desk.
What comes next
Next on this track: OFAC SDN vessel screening (already planned for later in March) and a recorded dark-period detector for tankers that switch their AIS off inside the Gulf. For the wider method, see the methodology.