Normally, a carrier blasts the sky with powerful radar to see threats, but in “Ghost Mode,” this emission is suicide. Instead, the Lincoln navigates using only passive sensors, primarily the SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite. This system “listens” to the radar pulses of other ships and the radio communications of civilian air traffic. By triangulating these external sounds, the ship builds a tactical picture of the ocean around it without ever emitting a single electronic “ping” that could reveal its location to Iranian sensors.
