You Too? Tell Me Again Who Provoked Escalation of The Cold War?? TRUTH OR DARE

 Remember May 1, 1960??

U-2 Overflights and the Capture of Francis Gary Powers, 19602001-2009.state.gov› r › pa › ho › time › lw › 107188.htm

On May 1, 1960, the pilot of an American U-2 spyplane was shot down while flying though Soviet airspace. The fallout over the incident resulted in the cancellation of the Paris Summit scheduled to discuss the ongoing situation in divided Germany, the possibility of an arms control or test ban ...

The U-2 Spy Plane Incident – Association for Diplomatic Studies ...adst.org› 2015 › 10 › the-u-2-spy-plane-incident

The U-2 Spy Plane Incident. On May 1, 1960, an America U-2 spy plane was shot down in Soviet airspace, causing great embarrassment to the United States, which had tried to conceal its surveillance efforts from the USSR. In 1957, the U.S. had established a secret intelligence facility in Pakistan ...

U-2 Incident | Summary, Significance, Timeline, & Facts | Britannicabritannica.com › politics, law & government › international relations

July 20, 1998 - U-2 Incident, (1960), confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union that began with the shooting down of a U.S. U-2 reconnaissance plane over the Soviet Union and that caused the collapse of a summit conference in Paris between the United States, the Soviet Union, the United ...

The real star of this aerial selfie isn’t the balloon—it’s the U-2 spy plane

Let's take a close look at the U-2, a high-flying spy plane whose pilot wears a space suit.

BY ROB VERGER | PUBLISHED FEB 23, 2023 5:54 PM EST

• TECHNOLOGY

The DOD has captioned this photo: "A U.S. Air Force pilot looked down at the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon as it hovered over the Central Continental United States February 3, 2023.". Photo courtesy of the Department of Defense

A striking photo released on February 22 by the Department of Defense reveals a unique aerial scene: The image shows the Chinese surveillance balloon as seen from the cockpit of a U-2 spy plane on February 3, along with the pilot’s helmet, the aircraft’s wing, and even the shadow of the plane itself on the balloon. 

While the subject of the photo is the balloon, which was later shot down by an F-22, the aircraft that made the image possible is referenced in the image’s simple title: “U-2 Pilot over Central Continental United States.” Here’s a brief primer on that aircraft, a high-flying spy plane with a reputation for being tough to operate and land.  

The U-2 aircraft is designed to operate at “over 70,000 feet,” according to an Air Force fact sheet. That very high altitude means that it flies way higher than commercial jet aircraft, which tend to cruise at a maximum altitude in the lower end of the 40,000-foot range. 

The U-2’s ability to climb above 70,000 feet in altitude “makes it, I believe, the highest flying aircraft that we know about in the Air Force inventory,” says Todd Harrison, a defense analyst with Metrea, a firm formerly known as Meta Aerospace. “That becomes important for a mission like this, where the balloon was operating around 60,000 feet.”

[Related: Why the US might be finding more unidentified flying objects]

The plane features wings that stretch to a width of 105 feet, which is about three times longer than the wingspan of an F-16. “It is designed for very high altitude flight, and it has a very efficient wing—[a] very high aspect ratio wing, so that makes it very long and slender,” Harrison says. . .

The point of the aircraft is to gather information. “It is used to spy, and collect intelligence on others,” says Harrison. “It has been upgraded and modernized over the years, with airframe modernization, obviously the sensors have gotten better and better.” The U-2 famously used to shoot photographs using old-school wet film with what’s called the Optical Bar Camera, and stopped doing so only in the summer of 2022. 

A U-2 in Nevada in 2018. US Air Force / Bailee A. Darbasie

As for the recent photo of the surveillance balloon from the U-2, a reporter for NPR speculates that it was taken specifically “just south of Bellflower” Missouri, as did a Twitter user with the handle @obretix. 

“It’s a pretty incredible photo,” Harrison reflects. “It does show that the US was actively surveilling this balloon up close throughout its transit of the United States. It’s interesting that the U-2 pilot was actually able to capture a selfie like that while flying at that altitude.”

On February 6, a Popular Science sibling website, the War Zone, reported that the US had employed U-2 aircraft to keep tabs on the balloon. And on February 8, CNN reported before this photo’s official release that a “pilot took a selfie in the cockpit that shows both the pilot and the surveillance balloon itself,” citing US officials.

Rob Verger

Rob Verger is the Technology Editor at Popular Science, where he leads a team of journalists who cover everything from transportation and the military to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Contact the author here.

Multi-million$ Black Hawks Privately Financed Acquired by Ukraine Special Ops

Now the modern variant of this utility aircraft is taking on a new mission set — as an Armed Helicopter used in American Land Wars. More than 4,000 BLACK HAWK aircraft of all types are in service worldwide today. The U.S. Army is the largest operator with 2,135 H-60 designated aircraft. The same aircraft sold internationally direct from Sikorsky acquires the S-70 designation. 

Armed Kit

Expanding Mission Effectiveness for Your Black Hawk Helicopter

As a Lockheed Martin company, Sikorsky can now offer international customers via direct commercial sale a BLACK HAWK helicopter integrated with guns, rockets and missiles. 

Civilian Black Hawks are known as the Sikorsky S-70 and cost approximately $13 million new.

Armed solutions are scalable – from crew served door guns to a fully integrated weapons system controlled from the cockpit by either pilot. Configurations tailored to customer preferences allow the aircraft to provide fire suppression, support ground troop, become an armed escort, or perform armed assault missions.

 

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www.outono.net

Ukrainian Armed Forces show their first UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter

5 - 7 minutes

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It is a UH-60A built in 1980 and was operated by the United States Army

Today Ukraine has given a surprise by showing its first UH-60 Black Hawk, something unexpected, since the US did not announce any delivery of these helicopters.

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The announcement was made by the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (GUR), publishing two photos of the UH-60 on its website, in a statement titled: "The military intelligence aviation of Ukraine performs combat missions on the first line of defense".

The text reads as follows: "Ukrainian military intelligence aviation continues its work on the first line of defense of our state. Reconnaissance pilots have just returned from another combat mission." The statement, which makes no mention of the UH-60, adds the following: "The combat helicopters significantly increase the capabilities of the special units of the Main Intelligence Directorate and the effectiveness of special operations. GUR MO pilots continue to destroy the enemy in all areas of the front."

One of the images shows a Mil Mi-24 attack helicopter of Soviet origin (on the right) and a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk on the right. We can see here an extension of the helicopter of American origin:

The GUR has published a second photo of the UH-60. The helicopter bears the Ukrainian military cockade painted on the engine and the Ukrainian flag on the tailgate. There are two details that stand out and that is that the helicopter has glossy paint, something typical of civil aircraft (military aircraft have matte paint to go more unnoticed), and it also has painted some blue and white lines.

These details have helped some analysts identify the helicopter. This is a UH-60A from the American company Ace Aeronautics. Here we can see it with the US civilian registration N60FW at a photo released by that company on Oct 17, 2019. The helicopter fuselage decoration matches the UH -60 of the photos shown by the GUR. Coincidentally, the part of the tail where the helicopter's license plate appeared does not appear in the photo released today.

Here we can see a video from Ace Aeronautics showing that same UH-60A taking off from Guntersville Municipal Airport, Alabama, 11 months ago:

The N60FW registration with the FAA indicates that the helicopter would have been acquired by Ace Aeronautics in November 2015. This company is dedicated to updating aircraft for private and government clients. A year ago it delivered a modernized UH-60A to the Austrian Armed Forces.

Helis.com data on that helicopter indicates that it was built in 1980 under construction number 70-197, being delivered to United States Army Aviation under serial number 80-23439. At the end of November 2022, that helicopter was still in the US, so its delivery to Ukraine must have been recently. At Aircraft.com there is a review of this helicopter, aimed at its possible sale, which includes this description:

"Exceptional RESTRICTED CATEGORY Black Hawk (RCTC #R00005RC) with 5,875 hours total time. PMI I & II and new paint in 2016 (PMI-1 due in 589 hours; PMI-2 due in 229 hours). Engines are T700-GE-700 (ETFs 0.98 on No. 1 and 1.0 on No. 2). Garmin G5000H Integrated Flight Deck STC #SR01944WI applied with Synthetic Vision, HTAWS, Storm Scope, Obstacle Alert, Wire Aware, geo-referenced maps and charts, SXM satellite radio/wx, Iridium talk/text/wx, ADS-B in/out, SafeTaxi, and more. EO/IR Sensor Mount STC #SR01957WI applied (sensor not included). Excellent component times. Price includes operator and maintenance publications, G5000H training, and delivery within the Continental U.S. Negotiable: With our state-of-the-art paint facilities, we can customize the paint to your requirements."

The FAA notes the following: "A restricted category special airworthiness certificate is issued to operate aircraft that have been type certificated in the restricted category. Operation of restricted category aircraft is limited to special purposes identified in the applicable type design." These categories include agricultural, forestry, photographic, infrastructure surveillance, and other utility uses.

On March 8, 2022, Ace Aeronautics published this photo of the helicopter in question with an AGM-114 Hellfire missile mount and an M134 Minigun machine gun. The photo was taken at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas, and its description read as follows: "our Blue AceDeck helicopter, with L3 WESCAM Electro-Optical Sensor (EOS) on our STC-ed sensor mount, and CFD International's External Gun Mount System (EGMS), complete with Hellfire missiles and an M134 Gatling Gun that can be fixed-forward or used by the crew chief/door gunner. The UH-60A shown by Ukraine does not include these weapon mounts nor the L3 WESCAM sight on its front.

Taking into account that Ukraine already has an operational UH-60, it would not be a bad idea for other countries, especially the US (which is the largest operator of this helicopter) to be encouraged to deliver more Black Hawks to Ukraine. The Ukrainian Armed Forces need all the help they can get to beat Russia, and an excellent helicopter like the UH-60 could be a big help.

english.nv.ua

Where did Ukraine’s HUR get a legendary Black Hawk helicopter?

5 - 6 minutes

". . .At least one of the legendary U.S. Black Hawk multi-purp deose helicopters is already helping Ukrainian intelligence, the Ukrainian military’s Main Intelligence Directorate or HUR reported on Facebook on Feb. 21.

Officially, neither the United States nor any other country has announced the transfer of any of the famous U.S. UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to Ukraine. However, on Feb. 21, the HUR published a news piece in which it showed the reconnaissance pilots who “returned after completing another combat mission.”

In the photo, Ukrainian scouts are standing in front of a Black Hawk helicopter with Ukrainian markings

Poland received more than 30 such helicopters at the end of last year. This version is manufactured by PZL Mielec, a Polish subsidiary of Sikorsky Aircraft.

However, Agnieszka Gasiewska, the company’s press secretary, told the Polish publication that “PZL Mielec does not have Ukrainian clients in its portfolio.”

✓ Meanwhile, Ukraine Weapons Tracker analysts suggested that it could be a former U.S. Army chopper, repaired and upgraded by Ace Aeronautics, LLC.

“This particular vehicle does not have visible armament, but numerous upgrades are available that can provide significant firepower and superior sensor capabilities. In this case, it was likely bought privately and financed by allies,” Ukraine Weapons Tracker analysts report.

 

Details:

UH-60 Black Hawk

✓ The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a U.S. tactical multipurpose helicopter developed in the mid-1970s by the Sikorsky Aircraft company, which was founded in the United States by the Ukrainian aircraft designer Ihor Sikorsky back in the 1920s.

✓ The helicopter project won a competition for the needs of the U.S. Army and was named the Black Hawk in honor of the legendary warrior and leader of the Sauk native American tribe. In 1979, the helicopter entered service with the U.S. Army. 

✓ Over the past decades, many versions of this helicopter have been developed, including improved versions such as UH-60L and UH-60M, and specialized versions for the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Black Hawks have seen combat in conflicts in Panama, Iraq, Somalia, the Balkans, Afghanistan, the Middle East, and elsewhere.

S-70i Black Hawk 

S-70i Black Hawk is a Polish licensed version of the legendary U.S. UH-60 helicopter.

Read also: Ukraine’s allies wondered how the country got real-time data about the enemy — HUR

The base model S-70i does not carry any weapons. But the Battlehawk combat system can be installed on the helicopter with additional equipment for pilots and the entire suite of weapons: machine guns of various calibers, a 20 mm cannon, a laser-guided missile system, etc.

The helicopter has a digital flight control system, with four multifunctional displays for the crew. It can carry up to 13 passengers on board.

Manufacturer: PZL Mielec, Poland – Polish subsidiary of Sikorsky Aircraft.

• In service: since 2011

• Maximum take-off weight: 9.98 tons

• Weight: 5.37 tons

• Speed: 296 km/h

• Range: 578 km

• Body length: 10.17 m

• Screw diameter: 16.36 m

• Total length: 19.76 m

• Height: 2.66 m

• Width: 4.37 m (tail wings), 2.13 m (cabin)

• Two engines: 1,940 hp. each

• Crew: 2 people

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine

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www.lockheedmartin.com

Sikorsky BLACK HAWK Helicopter 

5 - 6 minutes

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The BLACK HAWK multirole helicopter serves with the U.S. military and the armed forces of 28 other countries worldwide as a tough, reliable utility helicopter.

During the last 40 years, this remarkable aircraft has fought its way in and out of countless combat zones to deliver and extract troops, save lives as a MEDEVAC or casualty evacuation platform, provide critical supplies to troops, deliver emergency supplies during natural disasters, and perform as an aerial firefighter and border patroller.

Now the modern variant of this utility aircraft is taking on a new mission set — as an Armed Helicopter to provide fire suppression when supporting ground troops, as well as armed escort. With digital avionics, powerful GE engines, high strength airframe structures and composite wide chord rotor blades, today’s BLACK HAWK platform has better survivability and situational awareness, and can fly higher and carry more than its predecessors ever did.

More than 4,000 BLACK HAWK aircraft of all types are in service worldwide today. The U.S. Army is the largest operator with 2,135 H-60 designated aircraft. The same aircraft sold internationally direct from Sikorsky acquires the S-70 designation.

Multi-Role Capabilities

At 9,979 kg / 22,000 lbs. max. gross weight, the utility version of the BLACK HAWK helicopter transports 12 fully equipped, seated troops into the heat of battle. Within the following mission sets, Sikorsky can further customize to specific requirements. . .

X

U-2 Surveillance Plane Pilot Scores A Selfie..."legend status" in military circles

The Pentagon on Wednesday confirmed the authenticity of a photo depicting an Air Force U-2 pilot taking a selfie with the Chinese spy balloon in the background in early February, one day before it was shot down off the East Coast of the U.S.

www.politico.com

So that crazy selfie with the spy balloon? It's real.

By Shayna Greene 02/22/2023 06:16 PM EST

3 - 4 minutes

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"A U.S. Air Force pilot looked down at the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon as it hovered over the Central Continental United States February 3, 2023. Recovery efforts began shortly after the balloon was downed. | Courtesy of the Department of Defense

The Pentagon on Wednesday confirmed the authenticity of a photo depicting an Air Force U-2 pilot taking a selfie with the Chinese spy balloon in the background in early February, one day before it was shot down off the East Coast of the U.S.

Journalist and author Chris Pocock posted the image on Tuesday, raising questions as to whether the photo, giving a startling view of the infamous surveillance balloon from the legendary spy plane, was real.

“I saw that report. I can confirm the photo’s authenticity,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters.

CNN first reported that the photo had been taken and had quickly gained “legendary status” in military circles.

The high-altitude surveillance aircraft had been sent up as the balloon traversed the U.S., and the Pentagon later cited imagery taken by the pilots to say the airship was “capable of conducting signals intelligence collection operations.”

An Air Force fighter jet shot the balloon down on Feb. 4 and “the majority of the balloon, including the payload, was recovered,” said Singh.

The Pentagon wrapped up search operations in the area off South Carolina last week and referred reporters to the FBI for details on what was recovered.

After the initial Chinese balloon incident, three other unidentified objects flying over North America were destroyed by U.S. forces just within a little over a week. Those objects were not believed to be from China or to pose a national security threat. The U.S. military did disclose, however, that they’ve observed Chinese surveillance balloons flying over the Middle East and Afghanistan in recent years.

President Joe Biden was criticized by Republicans for how the administration handled the Chinese balloon incident, including waiting until it was over water before destroying it. However, lawmakers passed resolutions condemning China for the balloon.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Wang Yi, director of China’s Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference last week about the situation and the consequences of Chinese surveillance of the U.S. Blinken stated on NBC that Wang offered no apology.

Wang publicly condemned the U.S. at the conference for the country’s response to what China claims was a weather monitoring device and accused the U.S. of warmongering."

Connor O’Brien contributed to this report. 

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