Semi-Secret NASA WB-57 Mission in Africa
Mystery Surrounds NASA’s Secret Mission in Africa, ABC
A NASA official recently confirmed that one of the agency’s aircraft had been spotted on an American military airstrip in eastern Africa a few weeks ago, but like a series of U.S. military officials, declined to say what the space agency’s high-tech bird was doing there. “I really can’t give you any of the details,” Jim Alexander, a NASA official with the WB-57 High Altitude Research Program, told ABC News. “You know, the airplane was there, you see it in the picture. But I really can’t tell you what it was for.”
it looks more like this aircraft is on loan from NASA for whatever the military is using it for.
U-2s and SR-71s seem to be in short supply nowadays. The WB-57F has been a dependable high-altitude platform. This aircraft (the Air Force designation was RB-57F) is capable of flying at 82,000 ft with a combat radius of 3475nm. Very respectable, even after all these years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wi…
There hadn’t been a SR-71 available for over a decade.
And you certainly can’t stage a U2 flight for operations over East Africa. Basically need ti move an entire airbase support wing to some East African airfield and back for half a month.
The WB-57F Canberra just need a security team and a tech support team flown in with one air transport.
NASA resurrected a WB-57 from the Arizona boneyard a couple years ago. Since it became operational it has been performing sensor payload evaluations for the DoD.
I have read that the aircraft was rebuilt by Sierra Nevada.
Hmm? That wouldn’t surprise me.
Sierra Nevada does a lot of retrofit work out in Colorado–converting a lot of business aircraft to ISR platforms, amongst other things.
Dyncorp International worked on it, I don’t know about SNC.
SNC made it flightworthy and once it was based back at Ellington AFB is where DynCorp currently performs the maintenance on all the NASA aircraft at that location.
Thanks. By the way, N928 was photographed at Kandahar.
Shhhhh that’s a secret! LoL
Ah, I see my confusion now. Apparently DynCorp worked on it as well while it was in Colorado. From Their website “The combined efforts of DI and NASA engineers, mechanics and logisticians made this landmark achievement possible. The DI and NASA teams provided more than 50 experts with vast experience in WB-57 operational, maintenance, engineering and logistics for select hands-on contributions last year during varying stages of the regeneration in Colorado.
For example, DI hydraulic specialists hand-fabricated, pressure tested, and installed hundreds of hydraulic lines. Several logistics challenges were overcome as most original parts are no longer in production, and the original manufacturers often are no longer in business. DI team members amassed the required parts, special tools and related products to complete the project and perform almost 1,400 tail-number-specific issues.”
Thanks for the info, it sounds like a real team effort.
I was surprised that NASA went ahead with that endeavor, I bet it was a joint venture between NASA and DoD.
As one of the founding members of the Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum, it makes me feel good that the old English Electric/Martin/General Dynamics bird is still on the job!
A testament to the durability of the original design by W.E.W. Petter back in 1946. https://en.wikipedia.org/wi… Most great aircraft start with a clear, elegant engineering vision.
I remember when they used to fly out of Patrick AFB all the time. Here’s a recent takeoff at Mildenhall. https://www.youtube.com/wat…
NASA has been a cover for the CIA for over 50 years. In the 1960 U2 shootdown by the Soviet Union, the U.S. first said that Francis Gary Powers was a “NASA pilot” flying an off-course “weather plane”. They even released pictures of a U2 at Edwards AFB with NASA markings. NASA didn’t have its own U2 until the 1970’s.
Here’s a link to the Wikipedia article about the U2 incident:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik…
Photo of CIA U2 with fake NASA markings.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik…
Unlikely that the CIA is involved here. this is most likely a pretty straightforward military reconnaisance operation. they did the same thing before operations in Afghanistan.
so i don’t think you can call NASA a “cover” for the CIA. NASA, with its vast aviation expertise, has always worked with other government agencies when the need for such expertise arises.
You really shouldn’t fly military missions with a Civilian registered aeroplane unless you want to give your present and future “bad guys” an excuse to shoot at all your OTHER civilian aeroplanes (not that these particular bad guys need much excuse).
You’d have thought the lessons of the Lusitania would have “sunk” in by now.