U2s Rule. OK!

[SamP]

Beautiful! Awesome to see the classic Dragon's, dont suppose you have any more?

[garyscott]

Lovely shot, you can see the old "sugar-scoop" well in this one!

[MikeB]

Lovely! Anymore?

[GOOSE]

Lovely! Anymore?

Agreed, please don't tease us.................

[atech]

Can I join in ?

Sorry for the poor quality

[3Greens]

Here's a few U2C's from the Wethersfield Det. back in June 1975












cheers
Keith

[alnewhaven]

Very nice! Are these the ones that were repainted for deployment to the UK as the government of the day ( Wilson/Callaghan?) thought that black looked too sinister?

[garyscott]

Very nice! Are these the ones that were repainted for deployment to the UK as the government of the day ( Wilson/Callaghan?) thought that black looked too sinister?

Done a little research! In early may 1975, the 100th SRW sent 5 U-2C models configured for testing the new ALSS (Advanced Location and Strike System) to Weathersfield. Before they came over (for exercise CONSTANT TREAT), Lockheed resprayed all the aircraft in two-tone grey camouflage. The colour change was at the request of the then British Labour government who were a little jumpy about sanctioning a mass deployment of a notoriously famous "spy-plane". They thought that painting them grey would make for fewer concerns! The ground elements of the ALSS system were set up around western Germany, the main ground station at Sembach AFB, plus five beacon sites spread from Bremerhaven in the north, to Neu-Ulm in the south. From mid may until the early part of july, 18 ALSS missions were flown.
3 U-2's would launch at 10 minute intervals from Weatherfield, followed by an air-spare, and set out for Germany. If it was serviceable, the 5th aircraft would be preflighted and made ready in case of an abort in any of the 4 airborne. The spare aircraft was used 10 times out of the 18 missions due to a lot of equipment failures, whilst the 5th aircraft was launched five times.
The U-2's flew 5 hour racetracks parralel to the east German/ Czech border, although test transmitters had been set up in the west german territory, the U-2's also tuned in on real transmissions from the "iron side" of the border. F-4's of the 36th TFW at Bitburg were employed in the strike role, dropping unguided ordnance on two bomb ranges in west Germany. The F-4's picked up ALSS data by a DME system in a converted drop tank on the starboard wing.
On the 29th of may, one of the U-2's crashed near Winterburg in west Germany, Captain R. Rendleman Ejected to safety. Another U-2C was rushed over to replace the lost airframe, so that ALSS testing could continue. When the testing had concluded, ALSS was deemed too unreliable. Data-links failed all too regularly, receivers and transmitters went off line. However, when everything DID come together, the system showed that it COULD work. Unguided ordnance from the F-4 's would hit within 150feet of the emitting targets on the German ranges. But, within the group of WARPAC emitters it was expected to locate during the deployment, ALSS had only picked up about a third of those which were detected by other means.
ALSS was the forerunner of PLSS (Precision Location Strike System), which was more capable at detecting and homing in on the newer Soviet SAM systems and Radars.
In a nutshell, the deployment was a secret (at the time) trial of a new system, that would, in the event of hostilities, enable the U-2's to locate, triangulate, and refine a position that would update in realtime, enabling strike aircraft to bomb "blind" at co-ordinates given to them via the U-2's.

[Gary West]

Thanks for posting that Gary - I enjoyed reading that

[3Greens]

Thanks for that Gary, I enjoyed the background info too.
My 'Intel' at the time of my visit to Wethersfield on Friday 27th June 1975 was a little more basic .. an old chap walking his dog in the nearby village had all the routine logged .. they depart each lunchtime at short intervals and return at tea time at similar intervals. True to form at 6.35pm the first light appeared on the approach then 2, 3 and 4. Then a nice 'reverse tow' by ground crews with a friendly wave past our position, to put them away for the weekend
Thanks again
Keith

[Gary West]

Particularly like the spaceman in front of long Black nose

Ian - any F-111 pics in your collection, would love to see some in a new thread if so please

[DanBeeden]

Great shots and some very interesting info to back up the pics - makes the thread even more interesting.

Were U-2s based at Upper Heyford then? I know that RC-135s were way back before my time, and all my actual memories of the place are of Varks and Ravens.

[graham luxton]

Great shots and some very interesting info to back up the pics - makes the thread even more interesting.

Were U-2s based at Upper Heyford then? I know that RC-135s were way back before my time, and all my actual memories of the place are of Varks and Ravens.

I agree there are some great shots on this thread -- very historic.
Dan, U-2/TR-1's were noted at Heyford as follows:

3 4080SRW U-2A's were deployed there Aug -- Oct'62
2 CIA U-2R's staged through there in Aug'70 returning in Dec'70 on their way back home.
1 CIA U-2R (one of the above) was present in Oct/Nov'73
1 TR-1A (01085) 17RW was in the static at Heyford's non-public "At Home Day" 24.6.89
Unless anyone knows differently there were no other visits.

cheers, Graham

[graham luxton]

Thanks for that info Graham. I was there for the '89 visit but then where were the rest captured? Fairford, Mildenhall? I'm afraid it's all too long ago for my memory. My notes have long since disappeared.

Ian

Hi Ian,
suggest that no. 1 and 2 are Heyford, 3 is Fairford, 4 and 6 BB 092 may be Fairford -- it was based there Mar'95 to Jan'96, 5 is Mildenhall and 7 looks like Waddington although I hav'nt checked that one.
cheers, Graham

[atech]

698

All of my pictures were taken at Wethersfield during the deployment.

atech

[atech]

Dont know if its of interest, but I caught up with part of the U2 that crashed at Wiesbaden on a trip to Beale in 2007. This is the tail plane, which is one of many artifacts kept in the pilots crewroom. In the forground is the arrester hook from the carrier landing trials,



And heres another gratuitous shot of a more modern U2 from an unsusal angle.



atech

[U21975]

I was with the 100th stationed at weatherfield during 1975, the queen ran us out of the country