U2 deployment news

[PeteHemsley]

Sorry if I'm being a plum and this is being discussed elsewhere, but it's just popped up on my YouTube.

https://youtu.be/7Z2_ABltXVY

A small report by us military

[Reach1985]

Thanks for this not a great deal of info on the length or permanence of this deployment. Does anyone have any news on this front? Are they going to be based there permanently from now on? (Or at least rotated through like they do to Akroteri?)

[Reach1985]

Thanks for this not a great deal of info on the length or permanence of this deployment. Does anyone have any news on this front? Are they going to be based there permanently from now on? (Or at least rotated through like they do to Akroteri?) i.e. a proper ‘det’.

[Spitfire88]

It’s a long term deployment, aircraft may rotate back for maintenance but there will be a permanent presence for the long term

[saint1]

Sorry if I'm being a plum and this is being discussed elsewhere, but it's just popped up on my YouTube.

https://youtu.be/7Z2_ABltXVY

A small report by us military

Thanks for posting. Not much about the deployment and couldn't see any footage of Fairford at all! It appears to be an Air Force Public Affairs Agency site but I'm not too sure

[09andrew]

How many aircraft?

[city42]

How many aircraft?

I think its going to be 4

[Spitfire88]

Info I have is 3 the current two plus 067 should be back from Robin AFB

[09andrew]

How many aircraft?

I think its going to be 4

Thank you!

[Bold]

067 is now in Cyprus

[Spitfire88]

067 is now in Cyprus

067 is at the thunder over Georgia airshow at Robins AFB, it went there when it left fairford a few days ago as Dragon81

[PeteHemsley]

Whatever the case, to this day I've never laid my eyes on a U-2 so I hope to catch one some day

[Graham]

I've been trying to follow the various U2 threads on here to try and work out which aircraft are actually here at the moment.80-1071 seems to one of them but are there anymore?

[Undertaker]

RAF Fairford Blog says U-2S 80-1071 & U-2S 80-1080 are at Fairford at the moment

[Morseman]

Graham, have you tried this site. https://ffdmovements.blogspot.com/
Mick

[graham luxton]

Might resurrect the title `Operating Location - United Kingdom` last used when U-2's were based at Fairford Mar'95 -Jan'96. Although they had 3 (differently configured) U-2R's based, a total of 10 U-2's used Fairford during that period with the maximum present at one time being 5 a/c. This was a combination of tail swaps from the US, transits to and from downrange and those downrange sent to Fairford for `Phase` maintenance. A bonus regarding those which came out of `Phase` was that their first flight was an air test or Functional Check Flight (FCF) in US speak. This normally involved overshoots and a bit of circuit bashing which made things a bit more interesting. Could history repeat itself?

[Graham]

Thanks guys

[Spitfire88]

Might resurrect the title `Operating Location - United Kingdom` last used when U-2's were based at Fairford Mar'95 -Jan'96. Although they had 3 (differently configured) U-2R's based, a total of 10 U-2's used Fairford during that period with the maximum present at one time being 5 a/c. This was a combination of tail swaps from the US, transits to and from downrange and those downrange sent to Fairford for `Phase` maintenance. A bonus regarding those which came out of `Phase` was that their first flight was an air test or Functional Check Flight (FCF) in US speak. This normally involved overshoots and a bit of circuit bashing which made things a bit more interesting. Could history repeat itself?

Excellent info Graham

[Spitfire88]

Might resurrect the title `Operating Location - United Kingdom` last used when U-2's were based at Fairford Mar'95 -Jan'96. Although they had 3 (differently configured) U-2R's based, a total of 10 U-2's used Fairford during that period with the maximum present at one time being 5 a/c. This was a combination of tail swaps from the US, transits to and from downrange and those downrange sent to Fairford for `Phase` maintenance. A bonus regarding those which came out of `Phase` was that their first flight was an air test or Functional Check Flight (FCF) in US speak. This normally involved overshoots and a bit of circuit bashing which made things a bit more interesting. Could history repeat itself?

Excellent info Graham, this deployment is a lot longer than the last time in the 90’s (I won’t post the time scale on a public forum ) I remember watching them take off in the early 90s , of course the USAF also sadly lost a u2 and it’s pilot last time they were based at Fairford.

[Pune]

Might resurrect the title `Operating Location - United Kingdom` last used when U-2's were based at Fairford Mar'95 -Jan'96. Although they had 3 (differently configured) U-2R's based, a total of 10 U-2's used Fairford during that period with the maximum present at one time being 5 a/c. This was a combination of tail swaps from the US, transits to and from downrange and those downrange sent to Fairford for `Phase` maintenance. A bonus regarding those which came out of `Phase` was that their first flight was an air test or Functional Check Flight (FCF) in US speak. This normally involved overshoots and a bit of circuit bashing which made things a bit more interesting. Could history repeat itself?

Excellent info Graham, this deployment is a lot longer than the last time in the 90’s (I won’t post the time scale on a public forum ) I remember watching them take off in the early 90s , of course the USAF also sadly lost a u2 and it’s pilot last time they were based at Fairford.

Thanks for posting this info' guys, hopefully I'll be making more regular trips down Fairford way.