USAF in panama?

[shirt]

I am working in Panama at the moment and drive past Tocumen Airport every day. Yesterday I noticed a pair of AWACS on the apron [think they were sentries] and today there's a C17.

Just wondered what they might be doing with such things at a commercial airport - albeit parked on what appears to be the freight terminal. The AWACS more than anything, can't think what they'd be using them for.

NB - they might not have been USAF, i couldn't see from this distance. could've been NATO but the question still stands.

[ecsrobin]

shirt]I am working in Panama at the moment and drive past Tocumen Airport every day. Yesterday I noticed a pair of AWACS on the apron [think they were sentries said:

and today there's a C17.

Just wondered what they might be doing with such things at a commercial airport - albeit parked on what appears to be the freight terminal. The AWACS more than anything, can't think what they'd be using them for.

NB - they might not have been USAF, i couldn't see from this distance. could've been NATO but the question still stands.

You don't need to know

[hidetheelephants]

Spotting drug runners probably, or perhaps spying on Venezuela.

[Ayahuasca]

I believe the aircraft you saw might have been the 'Sentinel' version of the P-3 Orion. Operated by US Homeland Security and tasked to spot drug smugglers.

[shirt]

they looked bigger than that, but perhaps that's it. seems like a lot of effort for yet another 'war' they're not winning

[ecsrobin]

shirt said:

they looked bigger than that, but perhaps that's it. seems like a lot of effort for yet another 'war' they're not winning

So what's the solution?

[shirt]

that would be pretty tangential to my OP.

i don't know. what i do know is that drugs are extremely easy to buy in any city in the US or EU. its like trying to plug leaks in a sieve.

[ecsrobin]

shirt said:

that would be pretty tangential to my OP.

i don't know. what i do know is that drugs are extremely easy to buy in any city in the US or EU. its like trying to plug leaks in a sieve.

But imagine if governments did nothing. Considering how much is seized each year I think it's money well spent trying to keep it off our shores.

[shirt]

its a drop in the ocean though.

quick search on the DEA's website shows 34 metric tons of cocaine were seized last year along with 74 tons of marijuana. in 2005 the figures were 118 tons and 266 tons respectively.

so which is most likely. drugs use in the US has shrunk by 3/4 in 10yrs or there are more ways to skin a drugs mule? FYI the DEA estimates over 4000 tons of weed is smuggled into the US per year.

i read once that london alone consumed over a ton of hash per day. home office stats show they seized less than 3 weeks supply in 2014.

massively OT btw, but at least i know what these a/c are upto. cheers.

Edited by shirt on Friday 23 October 20:15

[Ayahuasca]

I was in a boat in the San Blas islands and got buzzed by one of these. I think if I had been running cocaine it would have gone over the side, not physically seized.