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AIRBORNE ESPIONAGE ESSENTIAL GUIDE
SPY PLANES
PRESENTS
FR0M THE MAKERS OF
BLACKBIRD
THE ULTIMATE
SPY PLANE
SR-71
The Soviet strike that
shocked the world
Real flights
from Nevada
Eavesdropping on
the Enemy
9 781913 870508
U 2 DOWN
AREA 51
AWACS
SPY PLANES
978-1-913870-50-8
ISBN
21
FOREWORD
he term spy plane tends to conjure up impressions
of unusual looking, darkly-painted aircraft, perhaps
epitomised by the magnificent and high-performance
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. Even today, 22 years after the
type’s second retirement from US Air Force service, the SR-71 is
still top of the bill of aircraft designed and built for the business
of spying. However, nations that operate any type of ‘spy plane’
never refer to them as such. Reconnaissance is the much preferred
and politically-correct term used by nations to describe their
reconnaissance-configured aircraft regularly used to snoop on
other nations! Those nations include China, France, Russia,
Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. All
regularly fly reconnaissance missions, snooping on
neighbours and foes alike.
One surprising fact about the collection of
spy planes used since World War Two is the
range of types used for the mission. At
one end is the menacing looking SR-71
Blackbird capable of Mach 3+ flight,
T
Covert and Stand-Off
Reconnaissance
through specialised versions of strategic bombers such as the
RB-47 Stratojet, to small twin-engine turboprop RC-12-series aircraft
operated by the US Army.
With such facts in mind, the content of this much-anticipated edition
provides details of some really cool aircraft and their respective
operations from the post-war years to the current day. You can
find coverage of a variety of classic types including the Caravelle,
Comet, DC-8, EC-47, Nimrod, RB-45 Tornado, RB-47 Stratojet, SR-71
Blackbird and the U-2 in this special publication. Whether you’re an
avid aviation enthusiast or somebody with an interest in nation state
intelligence gathering,
Spy Planes
is an essential read.
Mark Ayton
Editor
Spy Planes
ABOVE:
Lockheed Martin
www.key.aero
3
CONTENTS
Contents
06 Anglo-American Strategic
Reconnaissance
40 Gary Powers’ Plane
David Isby tells the story of
American and British strategic
reconnaissance from the post-war
years through to 1960.
Bob Archer tells the story of
America’s most notable and
famous spy planes, the high-flying
Lockheed U-2.
Mark Ayton details Germany’s
long-retired Breguet Atlantic
SIGINT aircraft.
54 RC-135: 60 Years of
Reconnaissance
ABOVE:
Armée de l’Air
12 Reconnaissance Comets
and Nimrods
52 Baltic Breguet
Bob Archer chronicles the
evolution of the RC-135 and
explains how the type remains
at the forefront of intelligence
operations.
Jon Lake details two of the RAF’s
SIGINT aircraft, the Comet R2 and
the Nimrod R1.
David Isby writes about America’s
twin-engine aircraft used for the
SIGINT role.
BELOW:
US Air Force
18 Electric Goons to EMARSS
24 Shrouded in Secrecy
Lindsay Peacock reviews a
notable American reconnaissance
aircraft, the secretive North
American RB-45 Tornado.
28 Boeing’s Swept-Wing
Snooper
Strategic Air Command flew
the RB-47 Stratojet. Lindsay
Peacock provides a view of the
reconnaissance version of the
jet bomber.
34 Mercator: Mixed Powered
Reconnaissance
Rick Burgess charts the career of
the Martin P4M-1Q Mercator in US
Navy service.
4
SPY PLANES
Editor:
Mark Ayton
Senior Editor Bookazines:
Roger Mortimer
Email:
roger.mortimer@keypublishing.com
Design:
Spencer Hart
Advertising Sales Manager:
Brodie Baxter
Email:
brodie.baxter@keypublishing.com
Advertising Production:
Rebecca Antoniades
Email:
rebecca.antoniades@keypublishing.com
Subscription/Mail Order
Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 300, Stamford, Lincs,
PE9 1NA
Tel:
01780 480404
Fax:
01780 757812
Subscriptions email:
subs@keypublishing.com
Mail Order email:
orders@keypublishing.com
Publishing
Group CEO:
Adrian Cox
Publisher:
Mark Elliott
Chief Publishing Officer:
Jonathan Jackson
Head of Production:
Janet Watkins
Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs,
PE9 1XP
Tel:
01780 755131
Website:
www.keypublishing.com
Printing
Precision Colour Printing Ltd, Haldane,
Halesfield 1, Telford, Shropshire. TF7 4QQ
Distribution
Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2 Poultry Avenue,
London, EC1A 9PU
Enquiries Line:
02074 294000.
We are unable to guarantee the bonafides of
any of our advertisers.
Readers are strongly recommended to take
their own precautions before parting with any
information or item of value, including, but not
limited to money, manuscripts, photographs
or personal information in response to any
advertisements within this publication.
© Key Publishing Ltd 2021
All rights reserved. No part of this magazine
may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or by any
information storage and retrieval system,
without prior permission in writing from
the copyright owner. Multiple
copying of the contents of the
magazine without prior written
approval is not permitted.
ABOVE:
US Air Force
64 RB-57 Strategic
Surveillance Operations
Dave Willis explains how the
British Canberra bomber met
the need of a US Air Force
requirement for a high-flying
reconnaissance aircraft.
86 Swedish Snoopy
The Swedish Air Force operate
two Sud Aviation SE 210
Caravelle airliners re-configured
for the SIGINT role. Mark Ayton
explains their conversion and
service lives.
Mark Ayton details the French
Armée de l’Air’s DC-8 SARIGuE
and SARIGuE NG strategic SIGINT
aircraft.
The Armée de l’Air’s Transall
operate C-160G Gabriel tactical
SIGINT aircraft. Mark Ayton
provides details of the aircraft.
Mark Ayton details the Swedish
Air Force’s Gulfstream IV
SP-based S102B Korpen.
70 Q-Birds
Mark Ayton reviews the US
Navy’s EP-3E Aries fleet of multi-
intelligence reconnaissance aircraft.
David Isby writes about the
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the
world’s fastest and highest-flying
production aircraft.
90 Pour Le Président
74 Habu
94 Gabriel
84 Skywarriors and
Destroyers
BELOW:
Svenska
Flygvapnet
Mark Ayton provides a short
overview of the US Navy EA-3
Skywarrior and the US Air Force
RB-66 Destroyer.
98 Business-based SIGINT
www.key.aero
5

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