CIA deployed secret "Ghost Murmur" AI to track down missing airman in Iran

[DragonSlayer101]

The big picture: The CIA reportedly used a secret AI tool called "Ghost Murmur" to locate and rescue an American airman after his F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran last week. The aircraft was carrying two crew members, both of whom ejected safely after being intercepted by a new Iranian air-defense system and were later rescued by the US military. The pilot was recovered shortly after the crash, and the second airman was found more than 24 hours later.

According to two sources cited by the New York Post, Ghost Murmur can detect heartbeats from miles away. One source described it as being able to hear a voice in a large stadium, "except the stadium is a thousand square miles of desert." The sources also claimed that the tool can locate virtually anyone stranded under most conditions, saying, "If your heart is beating, we will find you."

Ghost Murmur was reportedly developed by Lockheed Martin's elite Advanced Development Programs unit, known as Skunk Works. Established in 1943 as a secretive R&D team for designing state-of-the-art aircraft and fighter jets, Skunk Works has since been tasked with developing cutting-edge AI software for high-stakes surveillance, espionage, intelligence gathering, and other purposes.

Sources claimed that Ghost Murmur was thoroughly tested on Black Hawk helicopters by Lockheed Martin and the US military, but this was the first time it was used in the field by the CIA. Neither the Pentagon nor Lockheed Martin has officially commented on the report, but President Trump seemingly referred to the new tool while speaking to reporters on Monday, describing a "very sophisticated" device used to locate and rescue the injured airman.

The rescued serviceman, publicly identified as "Dude 44 Bravo," is a weapons systems officer with the US Air Force. He was found nearly two days after his fighter jet was shot down in southern Iran last week. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it had intercepted the aircraft using a new air-defense system, and the Iranian government announced a 10 billion-toman (around $60,000) reward for the airman's capture.

According to one source, the barren landscape of the region provided an "ideal first operational use" of Ghost Murmur. The absence of vegetation and competing human signatures ensured minimal electromagnetic interference. Another factor aiding the search was the nighttime thermal contrast between a human body and the desert floor, giving the rescue crew "a secondary confirmation layer."

Ghost Murmur was named to reflect its ability to detect the heartbeats of missing or lost individuals from miles away. While "murmur" refers to a heart rhythm, the "ghost" signifies someone who has disappeared and might have died were it not for this tool.

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CIA deployed secret "Ghost Murmur" AI to track down missing airman in Iran

 

[maxxcool7421]

Uhuh.. cool story bro... so why not use it to find earthquake victims, people lost in forests.. etc.

 

[mbk34]

I call BS. You can't hear your own heartbeat in a quiet room so hearing a heartbeat from miles away and above the deafening sound of a helicopter just makes me laugh. Wouldn't it be easier just to listen to a brief radio signal giving the pilots encoded position or scan for body heat in a cold desert at night.

 

[maxxcool7421]

I call BS. You can't hear your own heartbeat in a quiet room so hearing a heartbeat from miles away and above the deafening sound of a helicopter just makes me laugh. Wouldn't it be easier just to listen to a brief radio signal giving the pilots encoded position or scan for body heat in a cold desert at night.

im about 99% sure the harness worn even after ejection will contain a burst transmitters for ''pinging'' status and that ping is used to narrow down a location...

google AI says :: Downed pilots safely reveal their position using secure, low-probability-of-intercept (LPI) electronic devices, such as the Combat Survivor Evader Locator (CSEL) radio, which transmits encrypted GPS coordinates via satellite without voice, appearing as background noise to trackers. Pilots also use clandestine visual signals like signaling mirrors during the day or pre-arranged, limited light signals at night to avoid detection by enemies.

Key Secure Methods:

CSEL Radio/Personal Locator Beacon: The primary, secure, rugged device sends encrypted bursts of data, including precise location and status (e.g., "injured," "enemy nearby") to rescue forces, avoiding continuous signals that can be triangulated.

Direction Finding (DF) Equipment: Rescue teams use aircraft-mounted equipment to tune into the specific, encrypted frequency of the survival radio to pinpoint the airman's location.

Satellite Messaging/Data Link: Modern systems allow texting or data transmission between the pilot and the combined air and space operations center, ensuring the pilot can stay silent.

Visual Signals (Low Signature): In daylight, a signal mirror is highly effective, low-tech, and silent.

Pre-arranged Signals: The pilot may use limited, pre-negotiated signals (visual or electronic) only when they know rescue assets are already on-scene, rather than transmitting continuously.

My money is on the pilot very carefully using CSEL in a way to not get caught...

 

[NumberNine]

Well I suppose it's not so secret anymore if we're reading headlines about it. A year from now it will be on github.

 

[Hexic]

I call BS. You can't hear your own heartbeat in a quiet room so hearing a heartbeat from miles away and above the deafening sound of a helicopter just makes me laugh. Wouldn't it be easier just to listen to a brief radio signal giving the pilots encoded position or scan for body heat in a cold desert at night.

One of the most common concepts I’ve told civilians in years past on this topic - assume the US Military is 10-15 years ahead of whatever technology you’re assuming they have. On a bad day.

Your mind would be blown if you knew what we could already do in the late 90s.

 

[Endymio]

I call BS. You can't hear your own heartbeat in a quiet room so hearing a heartbeat from miles away and above the deafening sound of a helicopter just makes me laugh.

You fail to understand the science here. Heartbeats operate at different audio frequencies than helo rotors. With an ML-assisted FFT algorithm and deep-learning noise discrimination, engineers are literally performing miracles. Even back in the pre-AI 1990s, US sonar systems were detecting relatively quiet engine sounds from 100+ km away. Today, I suspect their range is triple that.

Moving from the audio to the video domain, several years ago I saw a DARPA demonstration of reconstructing the words on a book page when that book was hidden around a corner, based on light reflecting off walls, and even the leaves of plants.

 

[mbk34]

im about 99% sure the harness worn even after ejection will contain a burst transmitters for ''pinging'' status and that ping is used to narrow down a location...

google AI says :: Downed pilots safely reveal their position using secure, low-probability-of-intercept (LPI) electronic devices, such as the Combat Survivor Evader Locator (CSEL) radio, which transmits encrypted GPS coordinates via satellite without voice, appearing as background noise to trackers. Pilots also use clandestine visual signals like signaling mirrors during the day or pre-arranged, limited light signals at night to avoid detection by enemies.

Key Secure Methods:

CSEL Radio/Personal Locator Beacon: The primary, secure, rugged device sends encrypted bursts of data, including precise location and status (e.g., "injured," "enemy nearby") to rescue forces, avoiding continuous signals that can be triangulated.

Direction Finding (DF) Equipment: Rescue teams use aircraft-mounted equipment to tune into the specific, encrypted frequency of the survival radio to pinpoint the airman's location.

Satellite Messaging/Data Link: Modern systems allow texting or data transmission between the pilot and the combined air and space operations center, ensuring the pilot can stay silent.

Visual Signals (Low Signature): In daylight, a signal mirror is highly effective, low-tech, and silent.

Pre-arranged Signals: The pilot may use limited, pre-negotiated signals (visual or electronic) only when they know rescue assets are already on-scene, rather than transmitting continuously.

My money is on the pilot very carefully using CSEL in a way to not get caught...

and having cheap simple solutions like the above means the army would have to be pretty stupid to try and develop Star Trek equipment that can detect a heartbeat from miles away.

 

[TooQik]

My only question is why are the CIA using Ghost Murmur to find the airman instead of CSAR? It would make more sense to have the rescue teams equipped with the appropriate tools for search and rescue.

 

[The Talking Tech]

That report from the "CIA" is BULLSHI* as we all know these jet pilots have trackers somewhere on their equipment they wear.

Besides if that "murmur" was true do you really think they would make it so easy to be disclosed?....nope

 

[Che Cazzo]

"According to two sources cited by the New York Post, Ghost Murmur can detect heartbeats from miles away"

You lost all credibility when quoting that amazing rag of a newspaper!

And if this technology exists (which I doubt and don't tell me the military has it but kept it secret for decades!)... how come it is never used to find lost kids / elderly / criminals on the run and in a million other scenarios?? It would be perfect for such good causes!

What a BS story!! Has the AI started writing by the way??

 

[Endymio]

...having cheap simple solutions like the above means the army would have to be pretty stupid to try and develop Star Trek equipment that can detect a heartbeat from miles away.

Do people really not think before writing things like this? Signal processing of sound waves is hardly "Star Trek" equipment, and CSEL systems have a number of drawbacks, such as not being able to detect enemy personnel, or -- as in this particular area of Iraq -- work poorly in mountainous terrain where the device has limited LOS to the SARSAT constellation.

ML models are performing far more impressive feats of signal processing than this, such as the system reconstructing and replaying songs from brain waves, as you listen to the music.

And if this technology exists (which I doubt and don't tell me the military has it but kept it secret for decades!)... how come it is never used to find lost kids / elderly / crimina

For the same reason we don't deploy US spy satellites every time little Joey wanders away from the daycare. Nor has this technology been available "for decades" ... it relies upon ML-based processing.

 

[JMGuy]

One of the most common concepts I’ve told civilians in years past on this topic - assume the US Military is 10-15 years ahead of whatever technology you’re assuming they have. On a bad day.

Your mind would be blown if you knew what we could already do in the late 90s.

Fun fact, my late uncle was in military intelligence. Well after being retired, he got drunk at dinner once and got somewhat loose-lipped. My aunt jumped in and shut him up before he went too far into revealing secrets, but the jist was: he stated it was closer to 30 years. If you’ve heard of it, the military is 30-years more advanced in their top-secret vault.

Now, grain of salt. He was drunk and perhaps its 1/2 that. Needless to say, drunk or not I had no reason not to believe him.

 

[umeng2002]

Uhuh.. cool story bro... so why not use it to find earthquake victims, people lost in forests.. etc.

Because it's fake.

 

[scoffer]

Great. Tell the whole world about it...........now put it online, so that the Chinese and Russians can steal the technology. Jeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........

 

[Norsiiii]

Well I suppose it's not so secret anymore if we're reading headlines about it. A year from now it will be on github.

It won't, because this absolutely does not exist. This is the most blatantly obvious propaganda campaign since the BBC invented their 'TV Detection Vans'.

This is clearly the US government trying to bluff the Iranians (and anyone else I suppose) into believing they have such a system, but it's laughable, not least because this has clearly been deliberately 'leaked'. All the hallmarks of a propaganda campaign. They're sitting in their little cubicles in Langley right now in uproarious laughter that this has gained any traction at all

 

[Kashim]

One of the most common concepts I’ve told civilians in years past on this topic - assume the US Military is 10-15 years ahead of whatever technology you’re assuming they have. On a bad day.

Your mind would be blown if you knew what we could already do in the late 90s.

Oh please, you sound like some kind of far fetched American spy movie. They're 10-15 years ahead and somehow none of that ever leaks out or gets stolen. It's amazing how well the US government can keep secrets. You know, the same government who couldn't keep something as simple as a presidential BJ secret, but they definitely got a lid on high-tech, futuristic, sci-fi weapons and gadgets. Cars that run on water, fusion generators, teleporters, light travel, ray guns, they got it all.

 

[Kashim]

"Ghost Murmur" sounds like the code phrase the Secret Service uses for Trump's stomach growling during the night when he's prowling the White House looking for snacks.

 

[whateversa]

I call BS. You can't hear your own heartbeat in a quiet room so hearing a heartbeat from miles away and above the deafening sound of a helicopter just makes me laugh. Wouldn't it be easier just to listen to a brief radio signal giving the pilots encoded position or scan for body heat in a cold desert at night.

They don't mean sound/audio, I think they mean electromagnetic detection. What other sources of electromagnetic energy is there is an open area...

 

[R00sT3R]

What a load of misinformation BS.

 

[mbk34]

They don't mean sound/audio, I think they mean electromagnetic detection. What other sources of electromagnetic energy is there is an open area...

Most peoples hearts are biological. Is yours different?

 

[WhiteLeaff]

Most peoples hearts are biological. Is yours different?

A biological organ, but functions using small electrical impulses.

This type of scan must be much easier to carry out in a deserted area than in an earthquake zone, which is full of people and movement, creating noise.

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

Any story coming out from the Government should be taken with a grain of salt especially CIA, NSA, and Military. Is it fact or fiction Psy Op?

 

[Hexic]

Oh please, you sound like some kind of far fetched American spy movie. They're 10-15 years ahead and somehow none of that ever leaks out or gets stolen. It's amazing how well the US government can keep secrets. You know, the same government who couldn't keep something as simple as a presidential BJ secret, but they definitely got a lid on high-tech, futuristic, sci-fi weapons and gadgets. Cars that run on water, fusion generators, teleporters, light travel, ray guns, they got it all.

I’m just going to laugh, because for more reasons than one, you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.

 

[richstad]

It constantly amazes me how Americans are so keen to inform the world (and their enemies) of the secret kit they use, including such newspapers as The Army Times etc.

The FSB, PLAN, and other intelligence organisations don't have to do anything execpt pick up the latest magazine, newspaper, or blog, to find out what the American military is thinking about, the problems its facing, the new technology its using.

China is going to have a larger navy in the very near future; Russia has been developing hypersonic missiles (effectively) for ages;, South Korea builds better ships faster than America can; the list is endless.

America is no longer the reliable superpower it once was - allies are focused on becoming self-sufficient militairily, and are forging alliances with other countries, with America completely out of the picture.

You are losing friends rapidly and your militairy is not as powerful as it once was, and is falling behind in the race to be the dominant world power. China, Russia, and others are actively promoting a new world order with their countries as the focal point - and it's working.

When are you going to wake up?