It looks a bit like an old Canberra bomber that used to tow our targets for our missiles in the Hebredies, this looks like it might have some sort of AWAC capability?
"What" is partly easy, partly hard. It's a U-2, probably a "block 20" or later by the canopy. The black paint says it's in USAF service. NASA has two U-2s, one original, one later model, but they paint them blue and white and call them "ER-2".
The hard part is the radome. I can't see any particular need for having an air surveillance radar at 70+ thousand feet, unless they really are concerned with invaders from space, alien or otherwise. Of course, if I knew I couldn't tell, and if I did tell I'd have to kill you.
Speculation: A high-altitude radar might be useful in missile defense.
As for where, ask someone else. The black edge on the stripes says it's a US airport or a USAF facility somewhere, but the rest of the background's generic "airport". Maybe someone will recognize it.
The Raytheon ASARS 2 Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar System is a high resolution day and night all weather side-looking airborne radar (SLAR) for use at high altitude.
Agreed that is the TR-1 (today's supped up U-2). You can tell by the "fuel tanks" on the wings. Or are those sensor packages? Can anyone clarify?
As to the radome on top... Yikes, I was speculating maybe a side looking radar for scanning the ground below. Would such an item have to be mounted on the underside or not?
DOH!! I stand corrected gents. From a Wikipedia entry: "In 1992 all TR-1s and U-2s (all U-2Rs) were designated U-2Rs." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_U-2
I think they call those variants with the pods "Dragonlady". Dont know where it is but I'm pretty sure its not Beale AFB. I dont remember a tree line like that near the ramp at Beale.
Ric's got it right folks. That's a SATCOM antenna. And remember this the next time you see something weird hanging off an aircraft: rarely, if ever, would you put something on TOP of an airplane that you would use to either look at or talk to something BELOW the airplane.
Would you guys believe a Martin RB-57D? I saw one once in Peshawar, Pakistan in 1963. Our pad at Incirlik was next to the now vacated U-2 pad. I met some guys who knew Powers and other guys who collected a lot of scuttlebutt about the program. From what I remember The U-2 was modeled on it and Kelly Johnson used the lessons learned to give the extra altitude and range needed. Only 20 were built and did U-2 types missions that did not penetrate the USSR. In fact, almost all of the U-2 missions flown did not penetrate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-57_Canberra
excerpt:
"Strategic Air Command employed 20 RB-57D aircraft from 1956 until 1964. Little is known about their use. The aircraft were retired due to structural fatigue and the advent of the U-2 and SR-71."
. . . . . . and WHERE is it?
17 comments:
It looks a bit like an old Canberra bomber that used to tow our targets for our missiles in the Hebredies, this looks like it might have some sort of AWAC capability?
*cough* it has an urly warning system
It's a Lockheed U2 Spy plane. The US used it to spy on the soviets during the cold war. It's the precursor to the SR-71 Blackbird.
"What" is partly easy, partly hard. It's a U-2, probably a "block 20" or later by the canopy. The black paint says it's in USAF service. NASA has two U-2s, one original, one later model, but they paint them blue and white and call them "ER-2".
The hard part is the radome. I can't see any particular need for having an air surveillance radar at 70+ thousand feet, unless they really are concerned with invaders from space, alien or otherwise. Of course, if I knew I couldn't tell, and if I did tell I'd have to kill you.
Speculation: A high-altitude radar might be useful in missile defense.
As for where, ask someone else. The black edge on the stripes says it's a US airport or a USAF facility somewhere, but the rest of the background's generic "airport". Maybe someone will recognize it.
Regards,
Ric
It's a U-2. It has some kind of electronics pod attached, either jamming or surveillance.
Where? On the runway, of course.
AHA!
http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/u2/u29.html
"The U-2 fitted with the datalink for signals intelligence in a dorsal pod."
Regards,
Ric
The Raytheon ASARS 2 Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar System is a high resolution day and night all weather side-looking airborne radar (SLAR) for use at high altitude.
Agreed that is the TR-1 (today's supped up U-2). You can tell by the "fuel tanks" on the wings. Or are those sensor packages? Can anyone clarify?
As to the radome on top... Yikes, I was speculating maybe a side looking radar for scanning the ground below. Would such an item have to be mounted on the underside or not?
DOH!!
I stand corrected gents. From a Wikipedia entry:
"In 1992 all TR-1s and U-2s (all U-2Rs) were designated U-2Rs."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_U-2
I think they call those variants with the pods "Dragonlady". Dont know where it is but I'm pretty sure its not Beale AFB. I dont remember a tree line like that near the ramp at Beale.
Ric's got it right folks. That's a SATCOM antenna. And remember this the next time you see something weird hanging off an aircraft: rarely, if ever, would you put something on TOP of an airplane that you would use to either look at or talk to something BELOW the airplane.
NASA's ER-2. you can buy a model kit of it:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.rollmodels.net/nreviews/airplanes/72spechobu2/U203.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.rollmodels.net/nreviews/airplanes/72spechobu2/72u2.php&usg=___IedUQyH6_0MlNk0NSBmcfxodi4=&h=600&w=800&sz=98&hl=en&start=24&sig2=XmKI6xdWp_VZo5pgYa6klg&um=1&tbnid=Q9q9znPwIsyuKM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3Du2%2Bwith%2Bradome%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GGLL_enUS325US325%26sa%3DN%26start%3D21%26um%3D1&ei=5ACHSoTEI8KylAeWvoWXAQ
The place is RAF Fairford where theres been quite a bit of recent activity, flying to/from RAF Akrotiri and then on to Iraq or Afghanistan at a guess.
The dome on top is for sat comms, called 'Senior Span' AIUI.
The pods under the wings are sensors of some description I think, but they're interchangable so who knows whats in it. Senior Ruby?
It's a Starfighter after the full Pelosi treatment.
Cheers
Would you guys believe a Martin RB-57D? I saw one once in Peshawar, Pakistan in 1963. Our pad at Incirlik was next to the now vacated U-2 pad. I met some guys who knew Powers and other guys who collected a lot of scuttlebutt about the program. From what I remember The U-2 was modeled on it and Kelly Johnson used the lessons learned to give the extra altitude and range needed. Only 20 were built and did U-2 types missions that did not penetrate the USSR. In fact, almost all of the U-2 missions flown did not penetrate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-57_Canberra
excerpt:
"Strategic Air Command employed 20 RB-57D aircraft from 1956 until 1964. Little is known about their use. The aircraft were retired due to structural fatigue and the advent of the U-2 and SR-71."
U-2S. Those "fuel tanks" are not fuel tanks. The "radome" is not a radome.
http://hsfeatures.com/u2sda_1.htm
The BB on the tail indicates its from Beale. However, it may be deployed to somewhere like Alconbury in the UK.
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