U-2R on a carrier!

Not something you see everyday:





taken from:

www.ussamerica.org...

Sea trials took place from 21 to 23 November 1969 aboard USS America off the Virginia coast. The tests were conducted by Lockheed test pilot Bill Park plus four CIA pilots. After undergoing abbreviated carrier training, the pilots began a series of takeoffs and landings that proved completely successful. The aircraft was even transported down the ship's elevator to the hangar deck with no significant difficulties. Even after all this effort, however, the U-2R is not believed to ever have operated from a carrier again.

never knew they even tried this - and top marks to the navy for trying!


but then again if they managed to get a flying pig of the decks then a Dragon Lady woundl`t be difficult at all

I remember when I first saw those pics. It was right after I saw the pics of the C-130 that landed on a carrier. Both of them blew me away when I saw them.

This is not the first time the U-2 went to sea.

In 1963 trials were performed with a U-2A on the KITTY HAWK and later in 1964 with U-2G's on operational missions under the name" Operation Fishawk" on board the RANGER.

These misions were monitoring the French nuclear tests in the Pacific.

Awesome pics, i truly love the pics of U2's and SR71 on missions and testing

Zaphod i'd love to see the one of the c130 on flight deck, do you have a link?

This is a link to the C-130 on a carrier


external link

thanks ajsr71 also this link and a few stats, colour pics

What an amazing sight

c130 carrier

i work on an air force base and C-130's are regular visitors. when i tell my coworkers (civilians) about C-130 carrier trials they think it's just some kind of air force folklore.
tell them about the C-130H 'Eagle Claw' converted with retrorockets with the intention to land in a soccer stadium in Tehran to rescue the embassy hostages in 1980..........yeeeaaa riiigghhhttt.
but i digress, U-2/TR-1 both wonderful aircraft built to push limits.

I was going to post the C-130 Carrier Landing image on dis thread, The F-111 Aardvark landed on the USS Coral Sea back in 1965 but got cancelled becouse it was too big and bulky for naval use, Thats how the Tomcat started. I wish they would test an F-15 Eagle for carrier landings.

the F-111 was originally to be used by both services, one of Robert McNamara's "brilliant" ideas on weapons platforms. The AIM-54 Phoenix was a developmental carryover from th F-111B, the missle system itself (AN/AWG-9 radar and AIM-54) meant for for the aborted F6D-1 missileer.

How could it possibly land with those wings, and the same thing with the C-130?