Aerofax Minigraph 28. Lockheed U-2R/TR-1

60 Pages·9.949 MB·English

by  Miller Jay, Pocock Chris.

Aerofax Minigraph 28
Lockheed
U-2R/TR-1
by Jay Miller and Chris Pocock
ISBN0·942548·43·4
©1988
Aerofax, Inc.
P.O. Box200006
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ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
AB AirBase IMC Image Motion Compensation
AC Alternating Current KVA Kilo-VoltAmpere
ADF Automatic Direction Finder LF Low-Frequency
ADI Attitude DirectorIndicator LOROP Long RangeOblique Photography
AEC AtomicEnergyCommission MF Medium-Frequency
AF AirForce NACA NationalAdvisoryCommitteeforAeronautics
AFB AirForce Base NASA NationalAeronautics &Space Administration
ALSS Airborne Location Strike System NRC NuclearRegulatoryCommission
ASARS Advanced SyntheticAperture RadarSystem OL Operating Location
AWACS Airborne Warning andControl System PLSS Precision EmitterLocation StrikeSystem
CIA Central IntelligenceAgency RAF Royal Air Force
COMINT Communications Intelligence RBV Return BeamVideo
DC DirectCurrent RPV RemotelyPiloted Vehicle
Det Detachment RTO ResponsibleTestOrganization
DME Distance Measuring Equipment SAC StrategicAirCommand
DOA DirectionofArrival SIGINT Signal Intelligence
000 DepartmentofDefense SPO System Program Office
ELINT Electronics Intelligence SRS Strategic ReconnaissanceSquadron
EP-X Electronics Patrol Experimental SRTS Strategic ReconnaissanceTraining Squadron
ER Earth Resources SRW StrategicReconnaissanceWing
EW ElectronicWarfare TCN TACAN
FDC Flight DirectorComputer TELlNT Telecommunications Intelligence
FDS Flight DirectorSystem TEREC Tactical Electronic Reconnaissance System
FEBA Forward EdgeofBattleArea TLG Tail LandingGear
FL Focal Length TOA TimeofArrival
FS FuselageStation U Utility
HF High-Frequency UHF Ultra-High Frequency
HSI Horizontal Situation Indicator VHF Very-High Frequency
IFF Identification FriendorFoe , WL Water Line
liS International Imaging Systems WS Wing Station
ILS Instrument Landing System
MISCELLANEOUS SENIOR BOOK ANTENNAS AND LOCATIONS----------------
A. 10-119017-1VHF/OFANTENNAFS419.20(O.C.)
B. 10-119017·1VHF/[email protected](L)
C. '0-119017·1VHF/[email protected](R)
O. '0-"9017·'VHF/OFANTENNAFS529.60(L)
E. '0-"9017·'VHF/OFANTENNAFS548.25(Ll
F. 10-119017-1VHF/OFANTENNAFS548.25(R)
G. 10-119016-1UHF/OFANTENNAFS45L.OO(L)
H. 10-119016-1UHF/OFANTENNAFS483.20(R)
I. 10-119226-1UHF/OFANTENNAFS570.50(D.C.)
J. 10-119190-'UHF/OFANTENNAFS564.50(D.C.)
K. '0-119016-1UHF/OFANTENNAFS587.38(R)
L. 10-119016-1UHF/OFANTENNAFS587.38(L)
M. AT256A1ARCANTENNAFS?(D.C.)
N. AT256A1ARCVHFRELAYANTENNAFS310.65(D.C.)
O. AT256A1ARCVHFRELAYANTENNAFS418.53(O.C.)
P. AT256A1ARCVHFRELAYANTENNAFS496.90(O.C.)
Q. AT256A1ARCVHFRELAYANTENNAFS572.43(O.C.)
R. AS5211ARN·69ANTENNAFS?(O.C.)
S. AS5211ARN·69/DN338ANTENNAFS?(O.C.)
T. AT256A1ARCVHFRELAYANTENNAFS7(D.C.)
U. R923ANTENNAWS?(R)UNDERWING
V. RX395ANTENNAws?(L)UNOERWING
..
·.......:~~. ._.;;.~
THE LOCKHEED U·2R/TR·1/ER·2 STORY
N-803X(probably68-10329)wastheprototypelortheU-2Rseriesand,asoriginallybuillandtestflown, wasunpainted.Onlyvisiblemarkingwasregistrationontheverticalfin
surface. ProductionU-2Rsdifferedonlyindetailfrom theprototype. N-803Xlaterwaspaintedblack, likeitsstablemates, andwentontobecomeadualrole testbed,
servingoperationallywith the 100thSRW(later9thSRVV)andalsobeingutilizedbyLockheedlorsystemsandairframedevelopmentwork. .
CREDITS: andalthoughproductioncontinuesatamodestrate extremely lightweight, high-aspect-ratio Wing. The
asofthiswriting, itvirtuallyiscertain nowthatpro resultwasthefirstformalconfigurationproposalfor
TheauthorsandAerofax,Inc.wouldliketothank ductionwillendwiththeroll-outofthe104thaircraft whatqUicklywould becomeareconnaissance plat
thefollowing individualsfortheirassistanceduring sometime during September 1989. form with high-altitude performance unmatched by
the production of this'Minigraph: John Andrews; ThejustificationfortheU-2'sunprecedentedfame anyothermanned,air-breathingaircraftintheworld.
Robert Archer; Robert Birkett; Ted Carlson; Bob and extraordinaryservice longevity lies in the sim Its performance eventually would prove so spec
Danielson; Vinko Dolson; Larry Engesath (special ple fact that the basic design developed under tacular,infact,thattodate,overthreedecadesafter
thanks);JimGoodall;MikeGrove; DeKeHall; Norm Johnson'sskillful leadershipduring the mid-1950s theU-2prototype'sfirstflighton August1, 1955,it
Hatch;TonyLandis;GayleLawson;RobertLawson; was,andstillis,theultimatehigh-altitudesubsonic islikelynottobeexceededbyanoperational,manned
Susan Miller; Ben Rich, Richard Stadler, and Eric aircraft.InitialstudiesgeneratedbyJohnsonandhis subsonic aircraft during this century; even in con
Schulzinger of Lockheed Corp.; Jim Long; Daryl smalldesignteam utilizedthefuselage of the first sideration of today's technology and powerplant
Niewald;TomRing;Capt.BrianRogers;MickRoth; generationXlYF-104AStarfighterandatotallynew, resources, improvementsin maximumaltitude per-
ArthurSanchez;RobertSchumacher; BenKoziolof
the United Technologies Corp.; Mike Wagnon;
BarbaraWasson; and Tim White.
Note: An early draft of the text found in this
Minigraph originallyappeared in abbreviated form
intheOctober1984issueofAirInternational.Major ~.~~"l.
newhistoricalrevelationsandevents,hardwaredevel- ~
opments,andthereleasebyLockheed,theCentral'
IntelligenceAgency, andtheAirForceofimportant
new photographic and textual reference materials,
providedtheauthorswithrationaletoforgeaheadwith
the bookyou now hold in your hands.
PROGRAM HISTORY:
TheundeniablegeniusofLockheedAircraftCor
poration's inimitable aircraft designer, Clarence L.
"Kelly"Johnson,hasbeendescribedadequatelyby
someobserversasapowerfulmixofguts,gumption,
and a talented gift for aircraft design. The facts
underscoretheimage,asKelly'saerospaceindustry
contributionsareunparalleledinthemorethanfour
decades he has set precedent for the profession.
Kelly'smajoraccomplishments,intermsofhardware,
havebeenlistedtoomanytimestoreiteratehere.Suf
ficeIttosaythatoneofhismostnoteworthyachieve
mentswas,andstillis,thegracefulblackladyofhigh
altitude surveillance, Lockheed'senduring master
piece, the U-2.
Nowwell into itsthird decadeofoperationalser
vice,theU-2hasacquiredfame, amystique,anda "
\, "'-"
reputation far in excess of its almost unbelievably \
modestproduction runs. Intotal, nomorethan 100 TheprototypeU-2R, N-803X(foreground), alongwithfourofthefiveadditionalCentralIntelligenceAgencyU-2Rs'
U-2sofallvariantshavebeenbuiltatLockheed'struly (68-10330/68-10334)atEdwardsAFB'ssensitiveNorth Base facilityduringlate 1968. TheNorthBase
operation,eventoday, tendstobenon-militaryin nature.
enigmatic "SkunkWorks" and Palmdale facilities,
formancethatmightberealizedbythedevelopment
ofatotallynewaircraftremaindecidedlynegligible.
The success of the early U-2 configurations
(U-2A1B/C/D/E/F/G/H) is beyond the scope of this
story to recount. Suffice it to say that their ac
complishmentswerelegionandtheirachievements
were genuinely legendary. Thousands of missions
were flown over virtually every square inch of the
earth'ssurfaceandtheinformationgathered,ofboth
politicalandscientificimport,wasamajorintelligence
windfall for the free world.
Unfortunately,bythemid-1960s,asizablepropor
tion ofthe 56early-model U-2s that had been built
byLockheedfrom1955through 1960hadbeenlost
When firstcompleted, theAgency'sU-2Rs, includingN-810X(seenatthehighlyclassifiedGroomLake, Nevada toattritionresultingfromavarietyofcauses.Theair
facility), weregivenwhitecockpitsunshades. Later, these werechangedtoblack, aswerethoseseenon crafthadprovedextremelydifficulttoflyundereven
AF-allocatedaircraft. CentralIntelligenceAgencyaircraftallinitiallyweregivencivilregistrations. the most ideal circumstances and accordingly, ac
q _ J '\ I.... cidentseventuallyclaimedover40airframes,aswell
asthelivesofmorethanafewofthehighlyskilled
pilotswhoinvariablyhadvolunteered fortheoften
times dangerous U-2 missions.
AsmilitaryandgovernmentaldemandfortheU-2's
high-altitudesensorsystemplatformcapabilitieshad
increased ratherthan decreased, Lockheed, again
undertheauspicesofKellyJohnson,unveiledtothe
DepartmentofDefenseandtheU.S.intelligencecom
munityavariety ofon-going studiescalling forthe
developmentofatotallynewreconnaissanceplatform
utilizingthebasicU-2Cconfigurationenlargedbya
factor ofone-third.
Birth ofthis second-generation surveillance plat
U-2R, N-812X,servedtocarrier-qualifythetypeformaritimeuse. InitialtrialswereundertakenaboardtheUSS form,laterofficiallydesignatedU-2R(somesources
"America"(CVA-66)during 1969andvirtuallynoproblemswereencountered.AlmostallU-2RsandTR-1s indicate that it was at one time referred to as the
nowareequippedwithstructuralandsystemscapabilitiestoaccommodateafield-installedtailhook. "WU-2C" and that it began life as the U-2N), had
comeabout, likethatofthefirst-generation aircraft,
throughaspecificsecretrequirementwithinthecon
finesoftheCentralIntelligenceAgency.Twofactors
had generated the Agency's action: (1) the first
generationaircrafthadbeenattriteddowntoalmost
irrelevantquantities;and(2)theoriginalU-2,because
ofsensorsystemandmissionrequirementsgrowth,
had become powerplantlimited(thisdeficiencyac
tuallyhad becomeapparentshortlyafterthe U-2's
serviceintroductionduring1956whensensorsystem
weightsbegantoincreasebeyondtheoriginalspec
ifications outlined for the original aircraft). During
1965, Johnson had proposed to the Agency what
some sources claim was the U-2L-effectively a
BecauseoftheU-2R'sexceptionalthrust-to-weightratio, itsexpansivewings, anditsabnormallyhighlId(liftover stretchedU-2Awithaspanincreaseofapproximately
drag), itdidnotrequirecatapultequipmentforlaunch. Standardwind-over-decknumbersusuallyprovedmore
16ft.andalengthincreaseof8ft.Twoyearsofgesta
thansufficienttogettheaircraftairborneinlessthan300ft. Fullyextendedflapsarenoteworthyinthisview.
.... tionimproveduponthebasicpremiseofthisdesign,
I andcoupledwiththepowerplantlimitationsinherent
inthefirst-generationU-2s,garneredseriousinterest
not only from the Agency, butthe AF as well.
The pl'werplant dilemma had, in fact, become
criticalbythelate1950sandinordertocompensate
fortheassociatedlossincruisealtitudeperformance,
adecisionwasmadetoinstallamorepowerfulengine
intheformofthePratt&WhitneyJ75inplaceofthe
originalJ57.Thiseffectivelyeliminatedthethrust-to
weight-ratioshortfall,butnowreversedthedilemma
bycreating an aircraftthatwas airframe limited.
Thoughsignificant,theperformanceandairframe
limitations eventually were endured for almost ten
years. Bythemid-1960s, however,with mostofthe
ThemodificationsrequiredtomaketheU-2RITR-1 seriescarriercompatiblearerelativelyfewinnumber. Because .operationalU-2inventorywritten-offandthedemand
ofearlyexperiencegainedwith first-generationU-2s, theU-2Rwasbuiltwithcarrierlanding-relatedstructural
for itsservicesmarkedlyon theincrease,the need
andstressfactorsinmind. Specialwingtipskidextensionsarevisibleinthis view.
forareplacementsensorsystemplatformaircrafthad
become critical.
During August 1966, inacooperativeagreement
similartothatthathadgivenbirthtotheoriginalpro
gramduring1954,Lockheed,theAF, andtheCen
trallntelligenceAgencysignedacontractcallingfor
the developmentand flighttestofatotally newair
craft underthe U-2R designation. The newdesign
was expected to overcome the failings ofthe first
generationaircraftand, in particular,toofferan in
creased payload capacity, improved controllability
and stability at cruising altitude, improved landing
characteristics, greatly increased range and en
durance, and an improved fatigue life.
Arising from these physical changes was an im
TheprototypeU-2R, 68-10329, duringNovember1983atMarchAFB, California. BearingAFmarkings, itusuallyserves
provement of primary importance to the pilot. The
asaLockheedtestbed, thoughoperationalmissionsremain anoption.All-blackschemeandblackcockpitshadeare
instarkcontrastwithprototype'sbaremetalscheme. Wingtipsnowareequippedwithradarwarningantennapods. U-2R, because of itsover-all size increase overits
predecessor,wastherecipientofacockpitofmarked-
2
Iyincreaseddimensions.Thispermittedthepilot,for
the first time in the U-2 program, to wear a full
pressuresuit.First-generationU-2pilotswerelimited
to partial-pressure suitsofthe S-4/T-1/T-1Avariety
because ofseverespaceconstraints. Comfortwas
aluxuryundertheearly,somewhatprimitivecondi
tionsgeneratedbythesesuits,and itthereforewas
consideredamajorergonomicadvancewhenitwas
determined that improved, state-of-the-art full
pressuresuitsystemssuch as the A1P-22S-2(con
sistingoftheCSK-6/PsuitandtheHGK-13/Phelmet),
and the newer S1010B could be worn without
difficulty.
TheU-2R,developedbyKellyJohnson,BenRich,
FredCavanaughandothers,hadrisenfromaseries
ofdesignstudiesthathadexploredthepotentialper
formanceandpayload improvementsthatmight be
gained by incorporating such advances as super
criticalairfoilsectionsforthewingandtailsurfaces,
increasedthrusUhigh-altitucfeoptimizedengines,and
refined aerodynamics.
PrototypeU-2R, 68-10329:modifiedtoSfGfNTICOMINTconfiguration. "SeniorSpear"podsandcomprehensive
The resulting final design became notsimply an ventraffuselageantennafarms tendtobecommonplaceonaircraftthataresoequipped.Antennashapes
updatedfirst-generationairframe,butratheratotal andsizesaredictatedbythespecificfrequencyrangesbeingmonitored.
lynewaircraftsome40%largerthanitspredecessor.
Thewingspan was increased by23ft. (theoriginal
stock NACA64Aairfoil was retained, however, but
proportionatelyenlarged;thesupercriticalairfoilsec
tionwingideawasdroppedfromcontentionbecause
oflimited experiencewith it atvery high'altitudes);
wing areawasincreased by 400sq. ft.; wingstruc
turalweightwasreducedby31b.persq.ft.;thewing
lift/dragratio(UD)wasimprovedto27:1;andatotally
new and enlarged fuselage, with significantly im
proved fineness ratio, was created.
Thefuselager;hangeprovedassignificantasthat
for the wing as it provided nearly athird again as
muchinternalvolumeasthefirst-generationaircraft.
This increased volume permitted larger sensor
packages and more sophisticated and thus more
capable electroniccountermeasuressystemsto be AnotherviewofU-2R, 68-10329, withSIGINTICOMINTmonitoringequipment.Antenna farmsonaircraftthus
carried.Additionally,theincreasedfuselagesizeper configuredsometimescaninvolvetwentyormoreindividualantennas. Configurationsarealmostinfinitelyvariable
mitted improvedstructuraldesigntechniquesto be intermsofantennashapes, sizes, andquantities,dependingonmonitoringobjectives, ranges, sourcepower,etc.
incorporatedandconsequentlypermittedtheelimina
tionofdrag-inducingexternaloilcoolerintakes. Im
portantly, the length of the empennage section
alleviatedtheneedforthefirst-generationaircraft's
infraredsignaturelowering"sugarscoop"attachment
tothelowerlipoftheexhaustfairing-asitwaslong
enoughinitsown righttopermittheexhaustefflux
to cool somewhat before exiting the aircraft.
Revised and enlarged horizontal and vertical.tail
surfacesalsowerecreatedtoaccommodatethenew
controlmomentsresultingfromtheover-allincrease
insize,andtheouterwingpanelswerehingedtoper
mitfolding (partiallyin consideration ofthefactthe
aircraftwas tobe aircraftcarriercapable, and par
tially to alleviate difficulties resulting from storage
space constraints).
Hydraulically-actuatedroll(outboard)andliftdump LackingitsstandarddorsalVHFcommunicationsantenna, U-2R, 68-10330,apparentlywasutilizedasatrainerby
ing(inboard)spoilerswereaddedtothetopmid-span theAFfol/owingitstransferralfrom theAgency. Thisaircraft,oraU-2Rassignedthesameserialnumber,
surfaceofeachwing(aheadoftheflaps)inaddition laterwasdestroyedduringa 1977fatalaccidentatAkrotiri, Cyprus.
totheconventionaltrailingedgeaileronsandflaps.
Likethefirst-generationaircraft,however,aileronac
tuationremainedstrictlymechanical,withnoboost.
Othernewfeatureswereazero-zerocapabilityejec
tionseat(someoftheveryearly,super-lightweight,
first-generation aircraft were not ejection seat
equippedatall);largerretractableleadingedgestall
strips; accommod.ations for wing-mounted sensor
pods (which later would be increased in size con
siderablytobecomewhattodayarereferredtomost
commonly as "super-pods"); and a strengthened
landinggearandbrakesystemtoaccommodatethe
resultantsignificantweightincreasesandassociated
dynamic loads.
SignificantemphasiswasplacedbyKellyJohnson
andhisdesignteamonincreasingthenewdesign's
rangeandendurance.Thisrequirementwasaccom
modatednicelybytheimprovedvolumetricefficien
cypermittedbythe aircraft'svastlyincreasedsize.
Asitwere, thefirst-generation aircrafthadsuffered
from serious inherentfuel capacitylimitations;with
Equippedwitha "SeniorSpear"podsystemandrelatedventralantennas, U-2R, 68-10330, preparesfora
some1,320gals.beingtheirmaximuminternalload,
SIGINTICOMINTmissionfromAkrotiri, Cyprus. TheAkrotirifacilityisoperatedbyGreatBritainandthus
and another200gals. being permittedwhen carry isconsideredanRAFbase. "Snoopy"cartoonandearlyverticalfin capconfigurationarenoteworthy.
ingexternalunderwingdroptanks,endurancerare-
3
Nationalist Chinese U-2R operations continued
unabated,withbothAgencyandNationalistChinese
pilotsflying missions, untilOctober1974,when the
Nixon accords (PACPRO) with the Communist
Chinese led to a cessation of all U-2 Chinese
overflight activity. All Agency U-2 operations, in
cludingtheU-2RfacilityatEdwardsAFBNorthBase,
now were downgraded and shortly afterwards, (at
leasttemporarily) phased out.
AFactivity, primarilyintheform oftraining under
theaegisoftheAgency,hadmovedalongrapidlyat
NorthBase,thisfacilityservingastheprimaryU·2R
operations site. The first two AF U-2R pilots, Jack
FenimoreandRobertBirkett,alsoweretrainedhere
Anotherviewof68-10330, followingSIGINTICOMINTmissionoutofRAFAkrotiri, Cyprus. "SeniorSpear"podsare andworkedcloselywithAgencypilotsinacombined
readilyvisible. Noteworthyarewing walkerslyingonportwingtiptocompensateforlackofstarboardwing "pogo". operationallflighttestprogramexploringthenewair
TypicalofU-2RsandTR-ls, thisaircraftbearsnonationalinsigneormarkings, otherthanserialnumber. craft's capabilities.
During1966,theAF'sfirst-generationU-2operating
unitshadbeenrenumberedtobringtheminlinewith
otherunitsinSAC.Inconsequence,the4080thwas
redesignated the 100th Strategic Reconnaissance
Wing and the 4028th became the 349th Strategic
Reconnaissance Squadron. During 1970, the U-2s
assignedtoOL-20achievedfullsquadronstatusas
the99th SRS, and onJuly11,this unitwas moved
to U-Tapao in Thailand to undertake missions in
support of the Vietnam war. During the intensive
Linebaker/I aerial bombardmentof North Vietnam
duringtheclosingmonthsof1972,U-2surveillance
missionswere code-named Olympic Torch, and in
concertwithastrongcontingentofRPVs(Remotely
PilotedVehicles-mostlyTeledyneRyanreconnais
sance Firebee variants operated by a companion
unit),tookpartinpre-andpost-strikereconnaissance
activity.Foritsworkduring1972,the100thSRWwas
Themostunusualsecond-generation U-2configuratonyettohaveflown isrepresentedbythetwo "C-SpanIII"air
craft. U-2R, 68-10331, isshown, equippedwithitsverydistinctivedorsally-mounteddata-linkpod. COMINTISIGINT awardedSAC'sPaulT.CullenMemorialTrophyand
antennasaremountedin theaircraft'snose, its wing "superpods",andunderitsfuselage. theGen.JohnA. DesportesTrophyforbestRecon
naissance Wing in the 15th Air Force.
Iy exceeded ten hours. Though inflight refueling limiteddurationduetothecriticalneed,imaginedor Bythistime,asignificantpercentageof99thSRS
capabilitywasaddedtoaselectfewfirst-generation otherwise,togettheaircraftintoservice.Withinsix flyingtimewas beingdevotedtowhatnowwasbe
aircraft,thefundamental limitationsposed bycrew monthsoffirstflight,preparationswereunderwayto ingcalledtheSeniorBookprogramWhich, withthe
fatigue,pooraltitudeperformance,andstructuralcon flyoperationalmissions,andduringmid-1968,under help of the RPVs, was collecting COMINT (com
siderations remained only marginallytenable. the auspices of the Agency, the initial mission municationsintelligence)frommainlandChinawhile
Thenew,second-generationU-2Rmadeupforthe assignments calling for Chinese overflights were remainingathighaltitudeoutsideChineseairspace.
fueldeficiencyinnouncertainmanner.Its2,950gal. made.Thefirst U-2R,following anon-stopdelivery SeniorBook U-2Rsconsequentlywere modified to
capacity,allcontainedinitsintegralwingtanks,totally flightfrom Edwards AFB, arrived inTaiwan during "minimallymanned"configurationwiththepilot'srole
eliminatedtheneedforexternaltanksofanykindand themiddleoftheyear. TheAFfollowed suitduring usuallybeing confined to control and navigation of
concommitantlygavetheaircraftconsiderablymore the fall of 1968bysending itsfirst U-2RstoOL-20 the aircraft while the payload was being exercised
endurancethantheaveragepilotcouldaccommodate at Bien Hoa, Vietnam and OL-19 at McCoy AFB, remotely.
undereventhemostidealofcircumstances.Missions Florida. Remote control was made possible by the ANI
in excess of 14 hours became possible, but rarely With the arrival at North Base of the remaining UPQ-3microwavecommandguidancesystemwhich
wereorderedduetothedebilitatingphysiologicalef Agencyaircraftfrom Lockheed,testflightsandopera alsofeaturedareal-timedatalinkcapability.Thelatter
fects resulting from operating in ahigh-altitudeen tional missions increased in intensity. Four of the servedasthetransmittingsystemforrelayinganyper
vironment while wearing a full-pressure suit in a Agency'ssixU-2RsinitiallywerebasedatNorthBase, tinentsignalintelligenceinterceptedbytheaircraft's
decidedlycramped cockpit. while all six of the AF's aircraft eventually were receiving sensors.
Interestingly, the non-afterburning 17,000 lb. tho assignedtoDavis-MonthanAFB,Arizona, andfrom The U-2Rs were tracked continuously via the
Pratt&WhitneyJ75-P-13Bpowerplantutilizedonthe there,farmedouttovarioustemporaryOL'sthrough AN/UPQ-3's transponder .feature at line-of-sight
upgradedfirst-generation U-2sand nowchosenfor outthe world. ranges approaching 400 miles from a ground or
the new aircraft, remained essentially unchanged NationalistChineseU-2operations,whichcentered airbornestation.Thisrangecouldbeextendedcon
(some first-generation aircraft, it should be noted, onsurveillanceofmainlandChina,bythetimeofthe siderablythrough the useofan airborne relay sta
were powered by early, 1959-vintage J75-P-13A adventoftheU-2R,alreadyhadprovenamajorwind tion. With the "minimally manned" configurations,
enginesratedatjustover15,000Ibs.th.).Asitwas fall forthe U.S. intelligencecommunity. As itwere, theAFwasabletotracktheU-2accuratelythroughout
sufficientlypowerfulto accommodatethe needsof theAgencyfirsthadconceivedtheideaofusingthe itsflightprofileandcorrelateprecisetargetpositional
.thenewaircraft, and ithad benefittedconsiderably "free Chinese", as the ChineselTaiwanese were information by utilizing real-time surveillance data
fromitslengthyexperiencebaseandhighreliability called,inanoverheadreconnaisanceeffortthathad relayed from the aircraft.
record,Lockheed'sU-2programpropulsionsystem begun asearlyas 1958.Afteralengthyinstruction TheVietnamwarhadprovedrelativelyexpensive
manager,BenRich,sawnoneedtochangetoadif programundertakenwithAFsupervisionduring1958 forthe squadron asat leasttwo of itsaircraftwere
ferentpowerplant.Additionally,Pratt&Whitneyhad and1959atLaughlinAFBnearDelRio,Texas,three attrited.AstheU-2Rhadbegunitsoperationalcareer
continuouslyupgradedandtweakedthespecialized' Martin RB-57Dswereturned overtotheTaiwanese asalimitedresource,theselossesproveddecidedly
J75-P-13seriesengine'sdesign and hadpromised governmentfollowing ferryflightstoTaoYuan AB, critical. Congressional funding constraints brought
Lockheed improved cruise thrust performance at nearTaiwan.Theseaircraft, andlater, anumberof on bythewareffort bynowwere drasticallyaffect
altitudeinconcertwiththenewaircraft's proposed U-2AsandU-2Cs,servedtheU.S.intelligencecom ingvirtuallyeverymilitaryprogramandtheU-2Rwas
mission objectives and operational schedule munitywithgreatsuccessforthefollowingnineyears. no exception. Construction of replace~nt aircraft
deadlines. Though significant losses were incurred, with a wasnotlikelytotakeplaceintheforeseeablefuture,
number of aircraft falling victim to Communist andconverselytherewastobe nopredicted let-up
IN SERVICE: Chineseanti-aircraftoperations,theendproductof in demand for the U-2R'sservices.
the effort madethe losses politically palatable. Seniorbookand associated sensorsystem mis
TheinitialoperationaluseofthefirsttwelveU-2Rs TheNationalistChineseU-2operationagainwas sionsoccupiedthe99thSRSsteadilyduringthere
(sixwereassignedtotheAgencyandsixtotheAF) upratedduring1968whenthefirstoftwoadvanced mainderofthewaruntil,duringApril 1976,theunit
followedrapidlyontheheelsofthetype'sfirstflight. U-2Rswas delivered toTaiyvan, non-stopfrom the finallywaswithdrawn from Thailand anddispersed
This hadtaken place, with Lockheedcompanytest U.S.Theseaircraft,representingatthetimefullyone tootherOLsaroundtheworld. BytheendofSenior
pilot-BillParkinthecockpitofN-803X(68-10329),on third of the entire Agency U-2R fleet, permitted Bookthe U-2R hadsetseveral recordsfortype, in
August28,1967,fromNorthBaseatEdwardsAFB, significantlylargerandmoreadvancedAgencysen clUdingtheaccumulationofnolessthan 600hours
California. sorpayloadsto be carried atsignificantlyless risk flying time in one month (December 1974).
The flight test program that followed proved of overgreaterranges and for longerperiodsoftime. During late 1972 and early 1973, the U.S. Navy
4
begantoexplorethe U-2R'suniquecapabilitiesby mannedupandlaunchedforthebigevent,aculmina everyfacetoftheprogram,includingdeployabilityand
borrowing from the Agency two U-2Rs (including tion ofmanymonths planning and preparation. Ar supportofthereconnaissanceobjectivesoftheJoint
68-10339)inordertotesttheviabilityofitsproposed rivingoverheadathisCharlietime,hebeganhisfirst ChiefsofStaff.Itremained,andremains,constantly
EP-X(electronicspatrol-experimental)mission.The approach.Alleyeswerefocusedonthebroad-winged in use.
actualmodifiedaircraftinitiallyweredeliveredtoNorth blackbirdasitgracefullyslidintoitsapproach.Sud
BaseatEdwardsAFBduringthespringof1973,and denlyParkpulledupandcircled,radioinghiswaiting MISCELLANEOUS
the program ran for the following year with the audiencethathewasreturningtothebeachforsome
majority of the test missions being flown off the additional"checks".Unknownbelow,itseemsthat OPERATIONS:
southern Californiacoast. someonehadforgottentoremovethelockingpinfrom
Basically, the experimental Navy-funded effort the newly installed tailhook, priorto launch. During August 1970, two aircraft were sent to
soughttoverifytheeffectivenessofseveralsensors, AquickturnaroundsoonhadtheU-2backoverthe monitor an uneasy cease fire in the Middle East.
includinga highly modified RCA X-band radar, a shipandaratheranticlimacticseriesoflanding(deck Flightsinitiallyweremountedeverytwoorthreedays,
United Technologies AN/ALQ-110 electronic in runs averaged approximately 300 ft.) and waveoff but were suspended during the first week in
telligencereceiver, and an RCARBV(return beam demonstrations was made. "I flew standard ap NovemberfollowingEgyptianobjections.Duringmid
video) camera. All three were used in real-time proachesandtookacutforthelandingswithnoprob Novemberthe aircraft returned home.Three years
monitoring of maritime movements from high alti lem",statedPark."Theaircraftdemonstratedgood later,follOWingtheOctober1973war,theMiddleEast
tudes. Later, the RCA X-band radar was removed waveoffcharacteristicsandIfeltatthetimethatland surveillanceoperationwasresumedwiththeapproval
from 68-10339 and replaced inthe aircraft'sQ-bay ingscouldbemadewithoutahook.Werequiredvery of both warring sides. The war's aftermath had
byamodifiedTexasInstrumentsAN/APS-116forward littlespecialhandlingandeventooktheairplanedown resultedinapeace-preservingbufferzoneanditwas
looking radar. Thislatterinstallationwasutilizedto tothehangardeck.Theouter70inchesoftheWings requestedthatU-2sbeusedtosafeguardagainstun
exploretheeffectivityofdetectingsubmarinesnorkels fold and by careful placement on the elevator we warranted activity therein. The monitoring Agency
andperiscopesfromextremelyhighaltitudesandover couldgetitinwithnoproblem.Oneofthethingsthat U-2R unitwasbased atRAFAkrotiri, Cyprus, from
extremely long ranges. Resulting from this was a amazedmewasthestabilityoftheship.Theseawas where it also proved convenient to monitor other
Lockheed study calling for the U-2R to carry the fairly rough butthe shipwas as smoothandstable suspicious activity in the region.
electro-opticallyguided Condoranti-ship missile. as could be". During1974,the100thSRWtookoverU-2R Mid
Interestingly,NavyinvolvementintheU-2program Lockheedandthevarioussupportingagenciesin dleEasternoperationsandthefollowingyear,began
hadbeenon-goingalmostfromtheaircraft'sveryin volveddeclaredthemselvessatisfiedwiththecarrier monitoringthe Sovietbuild-upin Somaliafollowing
ception. During 1963, one of the first major first trialresultsandtheaircraftthenbecameofficiallycar discoveryofsamebya99thSRSU-2Roperatingout
generationU-2modificationsinvolvedmakingthree riersuitable.Accordingly,Lockheedwasgivenasmall ofDiegoGarcia. Bythetimeofitstwentiethanniver
aircraft, temporarilyassigned the civil registrations contracttodevelopanarrestinggearfieldmodifica saryduring1976,the100thSRWanditspredecessor,
N-315X,N-801X,andN-808X,carriercompatible.This tionkit,consistingofanarrestinghookandassociated the4080thSRW,hadnotchedupsixOutstandingUnit
programhadmetwithsignificantsuccessand,under fairings, rearlandinggearcabledeflectors,wingtip Awards. This enviable record went with it during
ProjectSeeker, had ledto anumberofoperational skidextensions, and wingtipskidcable deflectors. MarchasitmovedfromDavis-MonthanAFB,Arizona,
carrier-based missions which were undertaken in Additionally,acockpitrightconsoleswitchpanelwas toitsnewhomeatBealeAFB,California.Aspartof
ordertoobtainparticulatesforanalysisfromFrench developed that extended the tail hook upon pilot alengthyseriesofpost-Vietnambudgetcuts,theAF
nuclearweapons tests in the South Pacific. command(thislaterbecameastandardfitonsubse hadelectedtoconsolidate its unique stableof U-2
Withprecedentsetbythefirst-generationaircraft, quent production U-2Rs). andSR-71strategicreconnaissanceaircraftatBeale
it was a foregone conclusion almost that the sig During 1974, AF operations with the older U-2 under the 9th SRW umbrella; the old wing and
nificantlymorecapableU-2Ralsowouldbegivencar models beganto phasedown asex-Agency U-2Rs squadronnumbers(1OOthand349th/350th,respec
riercapability.Trialsdid,infact,takeplacenotlong were absorbedtoreplace attrited aircraft. Thenew tively)nowwerere-assignedtoKC-135unitsalready
afterthe type entered service. Underthe auspices modelpermittedsignficantimprovementsinvirtually atBealeandtherelocatedU-2squadronbecamethe
oftheAgency, Lockheeddemonstratedsatisfactori
ly the U-2R's carrier suitability aboard the USS
America (CVA-66) off the coast of Virginia during
closely-guardedsecretsessionstakingplacebetween
November21 and 23, 1969. LockheedtestpilotBill
Parkconducted the initial U-2R carriertrials. In an
interviewforThe Hookmagazine(c/oTheTailhook
Association, P.O. Box40, Bonita,CA92002), Park,
alongwithProgramManagerFredCavanaugh,and
KenWeir,chiefU-2testpilotforLockheed,discussed
someoftheunclassifiedportionsoftheUSSAmerica
tests:
Park, aformerAFfighterpilot,described hisfirst
venture intotheworld ofcarrieraviation: "Thepur
poseofthe landing was to demonstratethe carrier
suitabilityoftheU-2R.Havingnoexperienceincar
rierlandings,IfirstwenttoPensacolafortrainingin
the regularT-2B studentsyllabus. Ithinkthe most
impressivepartoftheprogramdowntherewasthe
studentsthemselves,makingcarrierlandingsandcat
shotswithsolittleflyingexperience.Irememberafter
we came back from the carrier, some of the kids
askedmewhatIthoughtofit.They,ofcourse,were
all excited. Well, here Iwas, thebig time testpilot
tryingtomaintainmyimage,soIsaidsomethinglike, "C-SpanIII"U-2R, 68-10331, hasunusualtailmarkingsinconcertwithitsunusualdorsally-mounteddata-linkpod.
'Oh,nothingtoit!' Hell,I'dneverseenanythinglike Thepodisrelativelynarrowincross-section, thusprovidingminimaldragandaerodynamicinterference.
The "superpods"alsoaremodifiedtoaccommodatemission-dedicatedsystems.
acat shot in my life!"
Continuingontothetrainingandpreparationphase
with the U-2 itself, Park returned to Californiaand
workedwith aNavyLSO(LandingSystemsOfficer)
flying FCLPs(Field CarrierLanding Practice)while
experimentingwithvariousapproaches,usingflaps,
noflaps,speedbrakes,etc.A450 flapsettingfinally
wasselectedandanapproachspeedof72knotswith
20 knots wind-over-deck was used for the USS
Americalandings.TheU-2hasnoangleofattackin
dicatorsotheapproacheswereflown relyingsolely
on indicated airspeed and "feel".
Thebigdayfinallyarrivedforthefirstlandingand
--
thestagewasall setwith the actors in place. Sup
portpersonnel, testpilotand machinewere on the
beach with the admirals, whileotherbig brassand U-2R, 68-10332, followingitsAgencytenure(andusedpresumablyforChineseoverflights), wasreleasedtotheAF.
Stillassignedtothe9thSRW, itapparentlyisutilizedprimarilyfortrainingwhileretainingan
theshipwereoffthecoaststeamingunderclearskies
operationalcapability, ifneeded. ItisseenduringaMay 1983airshow.
inafairlyroughAtlanticseastate.Allwasready.Park
5
-
U-2R(probably68-10332), duringoperationsoutofOsanAB, S. Korea. Itisequipped U-2R, 68-10336, duringaNovember1976airshowatDavis-MonthanAFB,Arizona.
wifhaLOROPcamera-equipped "SeniorOpen"noseandSIGINTICOMINToptimized ThiswassupposedlythesecondofthefirstsixaircraftdeliveredtotheAF. It
"superpods"mountingalargearrayofobliquely-orientedsensorantennas. appearsnowtobeutilizedprimarilyfortrainingandpilotconversionwork.
U-2R, 68-10336, becamethefirstASARS-2aircraft. Themodificationinvolvedanew TheadditionoftheASARS·2systemtotheU-2Rincreasestheaircraft'sover-alllength
noseconeandassociatedstructuralassemblies,new"superpod"systems, and bynearlyfive feet.Aheatexchangerisin thelargeprotrudingintakefairing near
internalchangesincludingtheinstallationofacelestialnavigationsystem. the nosetip.Anavigationsystemantennafairingprotrudesaftofthat.
99thSRS.Thisactivityofficiallywascompleteddur competitors, and that it could accomplish the pass Cope program was aborted.
ing October 1976. proposed mission substantially more effectively. DuringAugust1976,the99thSRSbegandetach
Now that the U-2 squadron was established at Though four CompassCope prototypeseventually ingU-2RstoRAFMildenhallintheUnitedKingdom
BealeAFB alongsidethatfortheSR-71,itbecame werebuilt(twoYQM-98AsbyTeledyneRyanandtwo withincreasingregularity.Thisdetachmentbecame
significantlyeasiertoidentifywhich missionswere YQM-94AsbyBoeing)tomeettherequirement,the permanentduring1979,withasingleU-2R(andlater,
mostsuitableforeachofthetwomission-similar,but program died aseeminglyprematuredeath. Along two SR-71As) kept on station at all times. Thisair
decidedlyperformance-dissimilar,aircraft.AstheAF withitwenttheU-2RRPVandanyhope,seriousor craft, usually seen configured for ELINT, TEllNT,
nowwas beginningtolose interest in the complex otherwise, that a contract for Lockheed might be and/or COMINT surveillance, flew missions from
and costlyCompassCope RPVprogram,thepros forthcoming. Mildenhallatveryregularintervals.Manyofthemis
pectsfor increased U·2employmentbegan torise. The U-2R RPV was, in fact, somewhat of a red sions lasted in excess of 8 hrs. and involved
Interestingly, at this time, Lockheed, in a near herring.Ineffect,theU-2Rproductionprogramwas peripheral flights along the borders of the various
desperateattempttokeeptheU-2Rproductionline indirectcompetitionwiththeCompassCopeprogram EuropeanCommunistbloccountriesandtheSoviet
open, proposedtotheRPV-enamoredAF, a"U-2R and any funding successes garnered bythe latter Union.
RPV" that, it was presumed, could compete with would almost certainly have killed long-term U-2R AstheIraniancrises deepenedduring1979,and
TeledyneRyan'sandBoeing'sforthcomingCompass funding. Lockheedelectednottotakeanychances; theU.S.beganexpandingitsmilitarypresenceinthe
Copesubmissions. Primarilybecauseitwas based byproposingtheirdroneU-2R,theyincreasedtheir IndianOcean,aU-2RwasdetachedtoDiegoGarcia,
on an aircraft that already was in production, options and concommitantiy gave the AF astrong and there utilized in the Iranian and Indian Ocean
Lockheed argued that their "U-2R RPV" could be argumentinfavorofkeepingthemannedU-2Rpro surveillance role. Directoverflightsofanumberof
built for substantially less moneythan eitherof its gramalive.Intheend,Lockheedwon,andtheCom- sensitiveareasfollowed,andtheinformationgathered
provedofinestimablevalue in making decisionsof
both political and strategic importance.
THE TR-1 PROGRAM:
AnewlyperceivedneedforincreasedTACrecon
naissancecapabilityinEuropeduringthemid-1970s
eventuallyledtheSecretaryofDefensetodirectthe
AFtoformulateaformalrequirementforaEuropean
tacticalreconnaissanceplatform.TheAFresponded
with aproposaltomodifymuchoftheextant F-111
tactical fighter fleet into reconnaissance versions.
TAC'sreactiontothisproveddecidedlynegative,and
afterexploringotheroptions,concludedthattheU-2R,
with several times the F-111's range and loiter
capabilityandonlyone-thirditscost, mightprovea
significantly moreviable alternative.
The AF Chief of Staff, when presented with the
U-2Rproposal,reactedquicklyanddecisively.Funds
forthetactical U-2Rwould bemadeavailable, and
because of the negative pUblicity surrounding the
originaldesignator,the newaircraftwouldbegiven
anewTR-designatormoreinlinewithitstacticalmis
sionobjectives. Inoneboldstep, theChiefactually
hadsolvedtwoproblems:hehadeliminatedathreat
totheAF'sF-111 fleet;andhehadforcednewblood
intothe declining U-2R production program.
Duringearly1978,ayearafterithadbeenproposed
Becauseoftheirneedtoknowpreciselywheretheyarelocatedatanygivenmoment,ASARS·2-equippedaircraftare totheAF, thefirstdetailsofthe newTR-1A(TR =
providedcelestialriavigationsystems. TheCNSopticalunitisvisibleaftofthecockpitasachrome-likecircularport.
TacticalReconnaissance)programwerereleasedto
ItispossibletopositionaCNS-equippedaircrafttoliterallywithinfeetofarequireddestinationpoint.
the public. TheTR-1A, aproposed newproduction
6
-
--~-
U-2R, 68-10337, displayedduringanairshowatCannonAFB, NewMexicoduring U-2R, 68-10337, transientatOffuttAFB, Nebraska. Markingsarevirtuallynon-existent,
October 1977.Aircraftisequippedwithoriginalverticalfin capassembly withtheexceptionoftheredserialnumberontheverticalfin. Originaltip-skid
withitsassociatedfueldumptubeextension. configuration, withoutRHAWantennafairings, isnoteworthy.
U-2R, 68·10337, duringAugust 1982,equippedwithafull-spectrumSIGINTICOMINT U-2R, 68-10338, essentiallyisbarrenofelectro-magneticsensors, butapparentlyis
antennafarm. Some20antennasarevisibleinthis view;manyothers, includingthose equippedwithopticalsystemcapabilitiesinitsQ-bayandnoseconecompartment.
faired-in totheflatfaceoftheport "superpod"arenotsoeasilydiscerned. Photoprobablywastakenrelativelyearlyin thehistoryoftheU-2Rprogram.
U-2R with minor changes in secondary internal non-indigenous intelligence services including the pilotKenWeiratthecontrols.Pilottransitionaltrain
systems, was to be adapted to carry a Hughes NationalistChinese,theWestGermans,andIsrael. ing usingthefirsttwoaircraftwasundertaken later
UPD-XAdvancedSyntheticApertureRadarSystem Interestingly,Lockheeddiscussedthepossibilityof that year, alsoat Palmdale, and by April 1982,six
(ASARS-2) with a range of well over 50 miles. supplyingU-2RstotheRoyalAirForceduring1982 TR-1As had been delivered to Beale AFB.
Optimizedforuse intheEuropeantheatre,itwould at areported unitcostof$20 million, less sensors. Thefirsttwo-seatTR-1BwascompletedatPalm
offer excellent high-resolution radar·generated im Havingbeenawakenedbyitspastlearningcurve daleduringJanuary1983,andfollowingpreliminary
agerythatcouldprovidebattlefieldcommanderswith experiencewiththefirst-generation U-2series, the ground checks, was flown for the first time on
detailedtacticalintelligenceinallweatherconditions. AFelectedtopurchasetwodualcontroltrainingver February23, with Lockheed companytestpilotArt
Unitdeliverycostswereestimatedtobe$12.5million, sionsoftheTR-1 forusebythe9thSRW.Theseair Petersonatthecontrols. UnlikethetwoU-2CTfirst
lesssensors and related equipment. craft,designatedTR-1B,weretojointhetwoU-2CTs generation trainers which were built-up from U-2A
Justoverayearlater,duringJuly1977,Lockheed forwhatoriginallywasto have been the 5th SRTS single-seaters,bothTR-1Bswerepurpose-builtwith
won afull-scalefouryeardevelopmentcontract for aftertheoldSAC9thWingunit.Thisdesignatorwas two seats forthe training role.
thepassivePrecisionEmitterLocationStrikeSystem waived,however,whenitwasdecidedtorevivethe AttheendofMarch~981,theUKgovernmentan
(PLSS).Thiswasadirectdescendantoftheearlier 4029th numberfrom 4080th SRWdays. At alater nounced that a TR-1 squadron would be based at
PaveOnyxandPaveNickelprogramsthatpromised date,thenameDragonTamerswaschosenforthe RAFAlconburyin Englandfrom 1983.Thesupport
tremendous increases in over-all speed, accuracy, new4029th SRTS. structure of the new outfit, in the form of the 17th
and receptor capability. Additionally, thanks to·ad Followingaformal,publicly-attendedroll-outfrom ReconnaissanceWingandthe95thReconnaissance
vances in solid-state micro-electronics, it was a Lockheed's Palmdale facility on July 15, 1981,the Squadron(withthe9thserving inthesupportrole),
substantiallylightersystemandthereforelessburden firstprototypeTR-1A(80-1066)tooktotheairforthe officially had come into being on October 1, 1981.
some to itscarrier aircraft. firsttimeon August1,with Lockheedcompanytest On February 12, 1983 the first European-based
In service, PLSS would require the services of
severalTR-1Asorbitingoverfriendlyterritoryasthey
gathered hostile emissions and transmissions.
On November16,1979, in responsetotheTR-1
contractandafternearlya12-yearproductionlapse,
theU-2Rwasreinstatedasaproductionaircraftby
theAF.Theinitialcontractaward, for$10.2million,
calledfortherefurbishmentofLockheed'sPalmdale,
California(AF Plant No. 42, Site7) facility and the
oldU-2Rproductiontoolingthathadbeenplacedin
storageatNortonAFB,Californiaduring1969.New
andreplacementtoolingwastobemanufacturedas
required.
The actualproductioncontract, for$42.4million,
calling foran initial batchoftwoTR-1Asforthe AF
andasingleER-2fortheNASA,wasannouncedless
than amonthlater.Thiswasfollowed byan AF an
nouncement of intentions to buy 10 TR-1s during
1982, fourduring 1983, and five during 1984,with
a total requirement for 35 by the time production
ended.
Not widely publicized, but decidedly noteworthy
wasthefactthatofthe35aircrafttotalestimatedfor
acquisition underthe 1979announcement, atleast
10werescheduledtobeU-2Rs.Theseaircraft,unlike
theTR·1sinvolved,were,andremain,verysensitive.
Itisassumedtheiracquisitionwasrelateddirectlyto
theU.S.intelligencecommunityandthattheythere U-2R, 68-10337, showinga variationtothe "SeniorSpear"podconfigurationoptimizedforCOMINTISIGINTwork.
Antennasunderthefuselage centersectionand"superpods"arecomplementedbyrarelyseen wingroot
forewereorderedasreplacementsforattritedaircraft. sectionantennas. Noteworthyisflatdielectricpanelon "superpod"forwardsection.
There also remains the possibility of U-2R use by
7
OFFu11
Ull rOller &qt
U,lllfllll~
U-2R, 68-10338, duringa transientstopoveratOffuttAFB, Nebraska. Itisconfigured U·2R, 68-10338, departingOffuttAFB. Maingearassemblyisjustbeginningits
forthe "SeniorBook"programandhaswhatappeartobefourUHFantennas retractionsequence. Tailwheel, thoughfullyextended, hasnotyetstartedits forward
mounteddorsally, alongwiththestandardcombinedADFwhipandVHFantennas. movement. Ventralantennasaccommodatefrequencies notaddressedbydorsalunits.
"SeniorBook"U-2R, 68-10338, atRAFMildenhallduringJuly1977,almostcertainly U-2R, 68-10338,atOsanAB,S. Korea. Stillconfiguredasa"SeniorBook"aircraft,
isaCOMINTconfiguredaircraft. Ventralantennasappeartobeearmarked itmountsfourUHFrelayantennasdorsallyandasingleUHFantennaaspart
forfrequenciesoutsidethenormalUHFcommunicationschannels. ofthesystem, ventrally,justaheadofthelowerQ-bayhatch.
TR-1A,80-1068,wasflown from BealeAFBtoRAF a500-strongwingpersonnelroster(eventually,some activityinwartime,andnewstructureshavebeenbuilt
Alconburylogging nearly14hrs. offlyingtime and 18 TR-1As are scheduled to be assigned to RAF tohouseequipmentandpersonnel.InadditiontoRAF
almost6,000mi.enroute(averyrel/ealingfeatofex Alconbury).Interestingly,inadditiontothelatter,there Alconbury, most U.S.-occupied airfields in Britain,
traordinary single-engine aircraft performance and also was a small contingent of SIGINT specialists someRAFairfields,andsomeU.S.-occupiedbases
pilotendurance).Thisaircraft,laterjoinedby80-1070, underthecontrolofaseparateunit,the6952ndElec in Spain and West Germany are receiving special
and which replaced initially the single Mildenhall tronic SecuritySquadron. groundhandlingequipmentthatisoptimizedtoser
based U-2R-andthough operating in Europeand The RAFAlconbury operation is claimed to cost viceU-2RsandTR-1s. Thisequipment, which con
therefore normally falling under the jurisdiction of approximately $1 million per year. To date, four sists most importantly of the aircraft's specialized
USAFE-nonetheless remained SAC-controlled. commanders have been incharge, these including pogo-typeoutriggerlandinggear,istobeutilizedin
Forthefirsttwoyearsofitsexistence,the17thRW (inorder)Col.GeorgeFreese,Col.ThomasLesan, emergency situations when U-2Rs and TR-1s are
hadonlythree aircraftandninepilotsassigned. By Col. James Wrenn, and Col. Art Sabowski. All are forcedtolandatairfieldsotherthanRAFAlconbury.
1985,however,exigenicesgeneratedbyworldevents former U-2 pilots. Beyondconventionaloperationswhichincludemis
dictatedincreasedmonitoringofIronCurtain coun Planstoaccommodateequipmentandpersonnel sionsandmiscellaneoustrainingsorties,onceevery
triesandaccordingly,asteadybuildupinhardware increasesarebeingcarriedoutintheformoftaxiway yearfurthertrainingandrefresherworkiscarriedout
wasinitiated,thiseventuallyresultinginnolessthan andrunwayimprovements.Asecond,shortrunway in a two-seat TR-1B (two of these presently are
tenTR-1AsbeingstationedatAlconburyalongwith of4,650ft.lengthhasbeenbuilttopermitcrosswind available).ThisaircraftisflownoverfromBealeAFB
for visits which normally last approximately two
weeks.
FollowingarrivalofthefirsttwoTR-1As, the17th
RW'sfirsttaskwasfotake-overthecommunications
andelectronicintelligence(COMINTIELlNT)missions
flownpreviouslybythesingleU-2Rbasedatnearby
RAFMildenhallundertheaegisofDetachment4,9th
SRW.The 17thRWhasprovided littlepublicinfor
matio.npertainingtothesemissions,andvirtuallyall
of the sensor equipment carried in the aircraft's
miscellaneousnoseandfuselagebays,and"super
pods"remainsclassified.However,thedatacollected
duringhigh-altitudeflightsacrossEurope(whichcan
lastforover9hours)istypicallyanalyzedinthefirst
instancebySACandbytheElectronicSecurityCom
mand.Thelatter'smissionincludesthecollectionand
analysis of enemy command, control, and com
municationsintelligence.Inthelatterrole,theTR-tA
takes its place alongsideotherSAC-operated plat
formssuchastheLockheedSR-71Aandthevarious
reconnaissanceandelectronicsintelligenceversions
ofthe Boeing C-135.
In addition to the COMINT/ELINT missions, the
17thRWretains the capabilityto undertake photo
graphicreconnaissancesorties.Theseflightsusually
U-2R, 68-10339, withanextensivepassivereceivingantennafarm initstwo "superpods". Theseantennastendto are conducted with anyofanumberoflong-range
behighlydirectionalandthusjustifytheneedfortheangledflatdielectric "superpod"nosepanel.
ThisparticularaircraftlaterwasmodifiedtobecomeoneofthetwoEP-Xtestbeds. oblique-capabilitycamerasmountinglensesofvery
high acuityand extremely long focal length.
8