U-2 plane crashes. Pilot ejected.

a reply to: Signals

He didn't say any target, he said contested airspace. A U-2 trying to fly over China would last a few minutes. A U-2 over Iraq or Afghanistan could fly for hours. Even over parts of Syria they could get away with flying over. Other parts they couldn't.

a reply to: Zaphod58

So you agree it's been decades since the U-2 flew over contested airspace?

(that's the quote)

Again, if true, tremendous waste of American tax dollars....

a reply to: FredT

The 9th has putting an AoA indicator as one of their highest priorities, but lack of funding is hampering installation and testing. Once they do have funding priority will be the U-2 with the TUs being done as a catchall.

a reply to: HomeyKXTA

Looking at the map of the area, it looks like it was on a straight line from the base to impact.

No official word on the surviving pilot, but a crop duster helicopter was over the crash site within a minute or so of the crash, and the pilot said the U-2 pilot waved at him from the ground. He radioed rescue personnel to see if he could help and was told a helicopter was on the way for a rescue.

originally posted by: Signals
a reply to: Zaphod58

So you agree it's been decades since the U-2 flew over contested airspace?

(that's the quote)

Again, if true, tremendous waste of American tax dollars....

It can loiter for hours and use it's slant sensors. It doesn't require to fly over contested airspace. That is why it is so useful for intelligence collection and has been for decades. In many of these missions the pilot is essentially redundant and becomes the mission manager as ground operators thousands of miles away operate the sensors. U-2 pilots are on the record as saying how strange it is to be monitoring the flight systems and having the slant sensors being controlled by remote operators thousands of miles away. That is why the U-2 is still so highly regarded within the intelligence communities. Think of the altitude it can be flown at for hours on station using international airspace and its slant sensors.

a reply to: Signals

No it isn't. The U-2 is one of the most flexible and useful ISR platforms in our inventory. There are currently no platforms that the public knows about that can overly contested airspace worth a damn. The U-2 however can do things no other platform can currently do.

originally posted by: Signals
a reply to: FredT

Decades?

Why still train with them then if they don't still run highly confidential missions over any target? What a waste of money if you are right.

I'm sure this has already been addressed but ill put my 2 cents worth in:

The U-2 was designed to fly over the Soviet Union and take pictures. It was for a time able to fly over "contested airspace" and once the Soviets were able to take down Power's aircraft, it was no longer viable in that role (They still used it over Cuba and lost one, and the Taiwanese also took sever loses over communist china).

As sensor technology has changed, the U-2 has proven to be quite a sensor truck as its many configurations shows The Many Flavors of U-2

It remains an extremely valuable platform for recce work and no longer needs to fly directly over its target to get its information

9th RW will be holding a press conference at 3:30.

Didn't see this coming. No new information, but 9th RW has suspended all U-2 flights indefinitely.

That sounds pretty critical for the fleet..For the U2 isnt there is a razor thin line between climb and stallout?

a reply to: Blackfinger

There's a razor thin line between every aspect of flight and stalling or breaking up.

The pilot killed was Lt. Col. Ira S. Eadie from the 1st RS at Beale. The other pilot hasn't been identified but suffered non life threatening injuries and is in good condition. Col Eadie was apparently acting as instructor to a new pilot.

He leaves behind a wife, six children, and one grandchild.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Dadgum It. The entire fleet?
I'm sorry I even jinxed this earlier on in this thread.

a reply to: HomeyKXTA

They said Beale, but there are only a couple Dets outside Beale, so no matter how you look at it, it's the entire fleet.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Heard the news about Lt Col Eadie earlier today. I salute him, and the legacy he left.
Went over my photos from the touch & go's I snapped a few months ago. They had the code BB on them. Glad I got to snap these before 2019, and before this tragedy occurred.
Dadgum It.

a reply to: HomeyKXTA

They're already calling for unmanned aircraft to take over from the U-2 because of this. Never mind it's arguably the hardest aircraft in the world to fly, and it's been something like 20 years since the last accident like this.

a reply to: Zaphod58

1996. Oroville.
Hardest (declassified) plane to land, from what I've heard, that's for sure, But that ladies airframe....scary(and an honor) to pilot, to say the least.
My next bet: Welcome to world of UAV recon, kids. The Asian campaign just took a big hit in reconnaissance.
Global Hawk, spotlight is now on you..

a reply to: HomeyKXTA

Hardest to takeoff, with a couple degrees between stall and flying and until recently no AoA indicator, hardest in level flight with a 10-15 knot coffin corner, and hardest to land. Oh and no hydraulics for the controls.

Always enjoyed being out with the pogo team for takeoff and landing. Good fun.

originally posted by: cosmania
I didn't know they were still flying these. I'm sure more details will come soon. If there were 2 pilots, doesn't that make this a trainer jet?

www.sacbee.com...

No, one guy in the cockpit driving; the other taking photographs.