U.S. Flight path of U-2 spy planes from Navy aircraft carriers

Summary and Key Points: After the 1960 incident, the vulnerability of the U-2 spy plane prompted the CIA to investigate aircraft carrier operations.

A secret experiment called “Project Whale Tail” was launched in 1963 to test U-2 carrier operations despite initial opposition.

-USS Kitty Hawk successfully launched the U-2G, which had been modified for carrier deployment. After this, CIA pilots received training that culminated in Operation Fish Hawk in 1964, during which U-2Gs monitored French nuclear tests in the Pacific. Although the U-2’s carrier role was brief despite its success, its legacy influenced subsequent unmanned aerial surveillance technology.

Secret History: U-2 Spy Planes on Aircraft Carriers

On May 1, 1960, a CIA U-2 spy plane was shot down by the Soviet Union and pilot Francis Gary Powers was captured. For American intelligence services, it was a global disaster.

To the dismay of President Dwight Eisenhower and the anger of the Pakistanis, from whose country the flight had originated, the planned summit between Premier Nikita Khrushchev and Eisenhower was canceled.

U.S. The Air Force continues to use the 63-foot-long, jet-powered U-2, which made its first flight in 1957 and can reach an altitude of 70,000 feet. However, after the Powers incident, landing the jet overseas proved difficult. In diplomatic circles, their sheer existence was a source of uneasiness. Extended discussions on basic rights may result in missing time-sensitive objectives.

In fact, only a year after the aircraft’s secret introduction, in May 1957, the concept of using U-2s from ships began. Nevertheless, the CIA and the Air Force worked together to build and operate the U-2, and the flying branch rejected the concept on the grounds that there were insufficient land bases available.

The reason behind the three-year gap between the rebirth of the U-2 carrier-launch concept and the shoot-down of Francis Gary Powers is unclear. The U-2 was then occupied with espionage missions against China, Cuba and the Soviet Union.

Over the past ten years, declassified documents have given us some understanding of the project. CIA Deputy Director Lt. Gen. Marshall Carter received a report on May 25, 1963. requested from James Cunningham, the deputy assistant director for the CIA’s covert Special Activities Division, regarding U-2 carrier operations.

The advantages of such operations—no foreign entrapment and quick, covert deployment—were obvious, but there were also some significant disadvantages.

First, could such a wide-winged ship be launched from the deck of a raging, stormy ship? Second, what would facilitate the integration of larger aircraft into existing naval operations? Third, can the carrier’s custody personnel keep such stealthy aircraft and their missions safe?

Carter immediately went to the man who built the U-2 to solve the first problem. Clarence “Kelly” Johnson assured Carter that the aircraft could be easily and affordably converted for carrier missions, including installing an arresting hook and strengthening its landing gear.

Carriers, spy planes … and the CIA

Lockheed, the company that made the U-2, already had plans to handle the larger aircraft on board. Sometimes, when the U-2s could not move on their own, special dollies were used to move them around.

The spy planes will be placed on the flight deck using dollies and a unique sling. The U-2’s 103-foot wingspan meant that this equipment would be necessary.

Carriers selected for operations had CIA crew rooms and additional compartments for on-board processing of reconnaissance films. They also brought about four thousand sailors, each of whom was required to glue their lips, ears and eyes together. A test program known as Project Whale Tail was conducted by the Office of Naval Research and two planes selected for the project would carry ONR insignia.

USS Kitty Hawk, a carrier, departed San Diego Harbor on August 2, 1963 to conduct the first U-2 carrier tests. The crew and handlers on the aircraft were identified as “Lockheed personnel” or “ONR personnel” and were loaded and stowed in the middle of the night.

Captain Horace Epps emphasized the need for safety in a message to his crew, in case anyone missed a clue.

According to Epes, “The details of the program and today’s trial are classified due to the apparently broad implications of the program with respect to [REDACTED].” In this context it is important that this test is not discussed or disclosed to unauthorized parties. It refers to someone who is not currently on board.

not since unauthorized disclosures came to light, Epes’s order was apparently obeyed, and no leaks occurred during later operations.

The jet glider’s tremendous lift allowed Lockheed test pilot Bob Schumacher to land just 320 feet from the deck, a breathtaking climb that astonished the sailors below. The landing was more difficult than expected, so Schumacher piloted the U-2 to land at Lockheed’s Burbank Airport, more than a hundred miles away, touch-and-go.

However, it was observed that the Dragon Lady could take off from the carrier.

At Pensacola and Monterey Naval Air Stations, CIA pilots began receiving serious carrier flight training. The CIA pilots were already expert aviators, and now they were taking instructions for one of the most difficult aircraft of all time. With their already formidable flying capabilities, instruction focused on the intricacies of carrier operations. By February 1964 there were two groups were qualified and the carrier USS Ranger was positioned offshore from Southern California, commencing all-up U-2 takeoffs and landings.

Operation Fish Hawk

All went well on the initial landing test. However, the aircraft bounced and nose-down when the tailhook hooked the wire, causing some minor damage fixed on board. In light of the difficult landing characteristics of the U-2, this was an impressive demonstration of the CIA’s aviation prowess. After more tests, the protocol was refined and the Seafaring U-2 was ready for deployment.

The U-2G was used only once and despite all these efforts, it was not against the enemy.

After gaining independence from France, Algeria allowed French nuclear testing to continue until 1963 when radioactive fallout emerged in the desert. When France wanted to build a new nuclear test facility, it decided to copy the earlier American test program Pacific Ocean. Paris selected the remote Polynesian atoll of Mururoa for the test site.

France was still in the dark about American surveillance. Later, Paris unofficially consented to American naval spying on French nuclear testing. Sea dragon ladies had their nests blown up in the 1970s. The larger U-2R was held in reserve by the CIA in case carrier operations were completed.

According to Jeff Scott of Aerospecweb.org, “During 1973 and 1974 two U-2R airframes were modified with forward-looking radar and infrared detection systems for use in the maritime surveillance role.” These U-2EPX aircraft were designed to downlink radar data to surface ships so that it could be combined with data from other sensors on the ground and in space. However, given the advancements in satellite technology, the project proved redundant and cost prohibitive.

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