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" You don&amp;#039;t always need warships to conduct gunboat diplomacy. In Europe, detachments of U.S. warplanes are operating throughout the Baltic region, sending a reassuring message to American allies\u2014and a warning to Russia. In recent weeks there have been some new arrivals: combat planes that are part of what defense wonks call a theatre security package, or TSP. Their arrival is the first TSP in Europe. All previous ones were deployed to Asia.  These are the three American warplanes currently flying over Eastern Europe. Spoiler alert\u2014all three warplanes have a long history of facing Russians.  RC-135U  American warplanes are not just in Europe to train and monitor air space for any sign of the Russians. They are actively conducting surveillance and intelligence gathering missions. One way we know this is that recently a Russian SU-27 almost collided with an American surveillance airplane, the Boeing-built RC-135U. The RC-135 has a long Cold War history. It first flew in 1962 as a recon plane for U.S. Strategic Air Command, and variants have taken part in every American war since then. Although it is a surveillance plane, the RC-135U has protective gear such as anti-aircraft missile countermeasures that are usually found on warplanes that fly closer to the action. (Read our exclusive ride in a NATO AWACS over Poland.) RC-135U&amp;#039;s specialty is collecting intel on opposing radar. It does this by spotting and analyzing emissions from hardware on the ground. The airplane is outfitted with antenna arrays from tip to tail, and manned by systems engineers and electronic warfare specialists who are dueling against Russian jamming specialists and electromagnetic spectrum decoy artists. It&amp;#039;s a hard job, but the results are critical. This information provides a vital map of the location and types of radar that guard the Russian borders. F-15C  The F-15C is a venerable warplane and, unlike some of its sleeker USAF brethren, has a track record in air-to-air combat. It was born to end the lives of Russian pilots, and built as a response to the MiG-25. It&amp;#039;s a single-seat fighter known for its speed, maneuverability, and a radar that makes it a potent dogfighter. Boeing says the warplane is undefeated in air-to-air combat with 101 victories. (This includes foreign wars.) The warplane&amp;#039;s speed and prowess makes it a good tool for intercepting Russian bombers and fighters that prowl the airspace of eastern Europe. Flying these birds gives vital training to the pilots, especially those the National Guard.  A-10  On May 5, four more A-10 Warthogs appeared at an airbase in Estonia, which has hosted some of the planes since February. That ups the number of A-10s to a dozen at that site alone. A-10s are ungainly but tough airplanes designed as ground attack specialists, and to be the chief Cold War tool for reducing the hordes of Soviet armored vehicles that threatened Europe. Their weapons include missiles and a wicked chain gun mounted in the nose. They fly low and can take a beating. There is a raging debate on whether to keep the Warthogs flying or replace them with high-tech fighters that can use precise munitions from higher altitudes to support troops below. This European deployment, like the Warthog&amp;#039;s successful combat missions in Libya, may again prove its worth. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a15536/us-warplanes-gathering-in-europe/>