During the early stages of the conflict, a public notice was issued urging anyone who observed aircraft traffic to report it to military intelligence. The notice was part of a broader effort to establish a defensive perimeter around drones and fighter jets. After the war, the first images of acoustic detection systems—microphone arrays—were released, completing the picture. These arrays capture the sound of rotor blades and engines, then process the signal to determine the type, direction, and distance of the aircraft. Some systems can even build a database of acoustic signatures for classification.
The strategy involves mapping the flight corridors of aircraft that are presumed to be unaffected by U.S. forces. Once these corridors are identified, electro-optical sensors are deployed in the area to create a stealthy defensive layer that does not emit radar signals, keeping the aircraft unaware. In more serious scenarios, this approach could be used to target U.S. F‑35A and F‑15E jets during a prolonged conflict, although acoustic detection would struggle with supersonic targets.