Spy flights

DPRKPTboat

DPRKPTboat

Junior Member
This article was from yesturday. Apparently an American UAV was shot down over Iran while conducting surveillance of the nuclear facilities, although it is only Iran which is quoted to have confrimed that. Does anyone know if the U.S. confirmed this? I couldn't find an article on the BBC website. I wonder what they used to shoot it down. But it sounds quite small, unless thats just the impression of the text. I know Saddam Hussein used Iraqi fighters to shoot down UAVs surveying the no-fly zones. I wonder if the Iranians did the same, that is if it was a high altitude UAV that could not be reached by their SAMs or AAA.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
 
Last edited:
DPRKPTboat

DPRKPTboat

Junior Member
Nice pic. The UAV is an AQM Firebee by the looks of it. And you can still see the ROCAF markings on that U-2. I'm surprised the Chinese or the Soviets didn't try to copy the U-2s they shot down - their scientists did study them, after all.
Is there any further news on that UAV that was brought down over Iran? The BBC still haven't reported it. And is there any information on what type of UAV it was? I would've thought it would be a predator.
 
W

walter

Junior Member
thanks for posting that picture, aerodriver.

As for the purported shootdown of a UAV by Iran, I would also guess it was a predator since there are so many in operation throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. If they managed to down a globalhawk then I think it may just have leaked by now from US military sources since that is an expensive and very capable system. But a lost predator--hardly worth mentioning.
 
Finn McCool

Finn McCool

Captain
Registered Member
I think it is quite odd that countries go around shooting down each others plans all the time and you never hear about it.

I actually know a guy who conducted survellience flights on China during the 80s and 90s. Flew out of Subic Bay. (He might know popeye:) ) He wasn't in a U-2, but he was in a P-3 Orion. He tracked Chinese subs and surface vessels and Soviet vessels out of Camnh Ranh bay in Vietnam. On a lot of flights Chinese fighters as well as Soviet and Vietnamese fighters would fly right up alongside the Orion. Standard interception procedure. He often waved at them and they waved back. After a while, they would fly back to their base. If I remember correctly, I think he told me that he never really felt that the Chinese, Russian or Vietnamese pilots ever seemed really hostile toward him. They mostly seemed quite bored with the prospect of having to trail a slow moving American sub hunter for a long time.
 
DPRKPTboat

DPRKPTboat

Junior Member
Finn McCool said:
I think it is quite odd that countries go around shooting down each others plans all the time and you never hear about it.

I actually know a guy who conducted survellience flights on China during the 80s and 90s. Flew out of Subic Bay. (He might know popeye:) ) He wasn't in a U-2, but he was in a P-3 Orion. He tracked Chinese subs and surface vessels and Soviet vessels out of Camnh Ranh bay in Vietnam. On a lot of flights Chinese fighters as well as Soviet and Vietnamese fighters would fly right up alongside the Orion. Standard interception procedure. He often waved at them and they waved back. After a while, they would fly back to their base. If I remember correctly, I think he told me that he never really felt that the Chinese, Russian or Vietnamese pilots ever seemed really hostile toward him. They mostly seemed quite bored with the prospect of having to trail a slow moving American sub hunter for a long time.
Click to expand...

Interesting. That still happens now, judging from the Hainan incident, but I think Chinese fighters are getting more agressive - they've been seen making violent passes across U.S. aircraft - probably this may have contributed to the crash. But those flights still haven't ended - not advisable if you want to build up economic ties with China.
Buy I do remember seeing one Chinese pilot putting up his e-mail message against the side of his cockpit for the Americans to see it.
Sometimes in such interceptions, the fighters radio or signal the spy plane to follow them. That was what those North Korean fighters did in 2003, during the nuclear standoff. That was probably becaues Kim-Jong-Il wanted a spyplane captured to use as a bargaining chip.
I wouldn't be surprised if similar incidents start to happen off the Iranian coast. I wonder if the U.S. sends P-3s there to. I expect they'll be met with aggression.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top