Military Tracking

ADS-B.nl is a network of amateur and volunteer-operated ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) receivers that track military and general aviation aircraft. For aviation OSINT investigators, military analysts, and conflict researchers, ADS-B.nl provides visibility into military air traffic that commercial tracking services often exclude or delay.

ADS-B is a surveillance technology where aircraft broadcast their position, altitude, speed, and identification in real-time. While commercial aviation tracking platforms like FlightRadar24 primarily focus on civil aviation and often filter or delay military data per agreements with defense agencies, ADS-B.nl aggregates raw receiver data from a global volunteer network, providing less filtered coverage of military movements.

For OSINT investigators monitoring conflict zones or military exercises, ADS-B.nl can reveal patrol patterns, logistics flights, search-and-rescue operations, and unusual aircraft movements. During international incidents or exercises, spikes in military air traffic captured by the network have provided early open-source intelligence to researchers and journalists before official statements.

The platform displays real-time and historical flight data including aircraft type (when determinable from hex code lookups), callsign, altitude, heading, and ground speed. Investigators can search for specific military aircraft by ICAO hex code or callsign and review their recent flight history.

Cross-referencing ADS-B.nl data with military aircraft registration databases (such as those maintained by open-source aviation researchers), photo archives on sites like Airliners.net, and public procurement records allows investigators to identify specific aircraft, their owning unit, and mission type.

Document specific flight tracks with timestamps, ICAO codes, and screenshots of the flight path visualization for investigative records.