Spying on China - 02.jpg (1/1) [55K]

[Netko]

The wreckage of three "unmanned high-altitude reconnaissance" aircraft shot
down over the PRC. A total of 17 such aircraft were claimed by the PRC.

I have no date for the picture, nor any ID for the aircraft. It looks like a
Regulus to me but I don't know if these were ever used for reconnaissance
work (or indeed how high they could fly). Sent to test air defences?

Can anyone here help?

[Dave Kearton[_3_]]

"Netko" > wrote in message
x.com...
>
> The wreckage of three "unmanned high-altitude reconnaissance" aircraft
> shot
> down over the PRC. A total of 17 such aircraft were claimed by the PRC.
>
> I have no date for the picture, nor any ID for the aircraft. It looks
> like a
> Regulus to me but I don't know if these were ever used for reconnaissance
> work (or indeed how high they could fly). Sent to test air defences?
>
> Can anyone here help?
>



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Firebee



Ryan Firebee possibly ?


They were used in Vietnam for recon work and more than a few returned with
additional holes.



--


Cheers

Dave Kearton

[Netko]

On Fri, 8 Jan 2010 00:11:12 +0000, Dave Kearton wrote
(in article >):

> Ryan Firebee possibly ?
>
>
> They were used in Vietnam for recon work and more than a few returned with
> additional holes.

Ah, much more convincing than the Regulus, not least because, having now
checked, I see that the Regulus had no tailplane.

They could have been shot down over Vietnam and shipped to China for display
rather than shot down over the PRC as the original caption stated.

Thanks for this.

[mr_antone]

On Fri, 8 Jan 2010 10:29:12 +1030, "Dave Kearton"
> wrote:

>"Netko" > wrote in message
x.com...
>>
>> The wreckage of three "unmanned high-altitude reconnaissance" aircraft
>> shot
>> down over the PRC. A total of 17 such aircraft were claimed by the PRC.
>>
>> I have no date for the picture, nor any ID for the aircraft. It looks
>> like a
>> Regulus to me but I don't know if these were ever used for reconnaissance
>> work (or indeed how high they could fly). Sent to test air defences?
>>
>> Can anyone here help?
>>
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Firebee
>
>Ryan Firebee possibly ?
>
>They were used in Vietnam for recon work and more than a few returned with
>additional holes.

See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Model_147_Lightning_Bug#China_overflights

--

A Libertarian society is an oxymoron.

mr_antone