That’s ‘Rules of Engagement’: nothing is ‘obvious’, unless the controller on board the AWACS says…

The controller couldn’t identify Dawoud’s Foxbat as such because this was underway on the fringe of AWACS’s radar range, and (at least…

That’s ‘Rules of Engagement’: nothing is ‘obvious’, unless the controller on board the AWACS says it is, and announces this to everybody else.

The controller couldn’t identify Dawoud’s Foxbat as such because this was underway on the fringe of AWACS’s radar range, and (at least initially) didn’t turn its radar on.

Therefore, he couldn’t declare Dawoud’s Foxbat for ‘hostile’, and therefore none of USN pilots had the permission to open fire. At least not while there was an opportunity to do so.