The carrier-based U-2 concept was workable, but it never gained much momentum.
This article is the second in a two-part series on “Operation Whale Tail,” the CIA’s ambitious project to reformat a U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane for aircraft carrier use. The first article was published yesterday.
Throughout the heady days of the Cold War, the U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane was responsible for deep-penetration ISR missions into hostile nations—but the aircraft’s initial 3,000 mile range, and its need to operate from land-based (fixed) runways, meant that many of the locations the U.S. wanted to surveil were inaccessible to the high-flying U-2. Updating the U-2 to fly from carriers, which were mobile and could get the U-2 closer to certain surveillance targets, was considered a viable remedy.
After early carrier trials, a version of the U-2 was outfitted with sturdier landing gear, an arresting hook, and wing “spoilers,” which canceled aerodynamic lift when the aircraft was above the carrier deck. The updated U-2 was designated the U-2G, marked with N-series civilian serial numbers, and painted with the markings of the Office of Naval Research.
The U-2’s Sea Trials
Testing of the U-2G from carriers began in March 1964, when Lockheed test pilot Bob Schumacher successfully performed a series of touch-and-go landings from the USS Ranger aircraft carrier. Schumacher then made the first full landing of the U-2G aboard a carrier. And although the landing was technically successful, there was an incident; when the arresting hook engaged with the cable, the U-2’s rear tipped upwards, forcing the nose of the aircraft into the deck of the carrier. The pitot tube was broken off, but quickly repaired, and the U-2 was once again deemed airworthy. Soon thereafter, Schumacher took off successfully from the Ranger deck.
Despite proving itself capable of operating from carriers, the U-2G wasn’t operationally relevant. Only one U-2G mission is known to have been flown, in support of 1964’s Operation Seeker, when a U-2G flew from the Mururoa atoll in the Pacific to monitor a French nuclear test site. The mission was a success; the U-2G gathered photographs indicating France was at threshold capacity and would soon become a nuclear power.
The Navy Passes On a New U-2 Variant
In 1967, with the U-2G gathering dust, the U-2R debuted. The new U-2 variant was 40 percent larger than the earlier U-2s with twice the range and four times the payload capacity. The Navy version had an arresting hook and the wingtips folded back on themselves to clear up space aboard the tightly-packed carrier.
Carrier trials for the U-2R took place aboard the USS America in 1969. Lockheed test pilot Bill Park said that “the airplane demonstrated good wave-off characteristics, and I felt at the time that landing could be made without a hook. We required very little special handling and even took the airplane down to the hangar deck.”
Still, the carrier-based U-2 concept never gained much momentum. According to the CIA, no further U-2 flights were conducted from aircraft carriers, and no version of the U-2 ever entered service with the Navy.
About the Author: Harrison Kass
Harrison Kass is a senior defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
Images: Shutterstock / ranchorunner.
