Why the U.S. Military Still Flies Cold-War Era Planes

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A U-2 plane at an airbase in South Korea


On the morning on Tuesday, September 20, just after 9:01 a.m. local time, two pilots ejected from a U.S. Air Force training flight above California’s Sutter Buttes, just north of Sacramento. One of them, Lt. Col. Ira S. Eadie, died; the other, whose name has not been released, is recovering. Though tragic, crashes during training flights are perhaps unavoidable. What’s more surprising is that these pilots were flying a U-2 spy plane, an iconic aircraft first built in 1955.

Most civilians associate the U-2 with the Cold War, not the War on Terror. Designed to fly at 70,000 feet, the glider-like U-2 allowed the United States to conduct aerial reconnaissance of the Soviet Union even before the satellite era. Its most famous moments came in 1960, when Soviet authorities downed and captured pilot Francis Gary Powers—a story Hollywood dramatized in last year’s Bridge of Spies—and in 1962, when the images it collected over Cuba set off the Cuban Missile Crisis. Why, in an era of drones and reconnaissance satellites, is the U.S. Air Force still using Eisenhower-era planes?

I put this question to John G. Terino, a professor at the USAF’s Air Command Staff College, located at Maxwell Air Force Base. First of all, he explained, the thirty or so U-2s being flown out of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base near Marysville, California, have experienced major upgrades since Powers’ day. The current model, technically a U-2S, has a longer wingspan, more room for sensors, interchangeable nose cones, and a slightly more pilot-friendly cockpit. The military and the intelligence communities prize the U-2S and their pilots for their flexibility and responsiveness. But most important is what Terino refers to as the U-2’s “multispectral capabilities.” Depending on the configuration of the surveillance equipment, the U-2 can take photographs, see through clouds and trees, and collect a range of signals intelligence, the details of which are carefully guarded by the military.

“The problem … is we think technology can only be new.”
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But still: The U-2 is a really old plane. And it’s not even the oldest plane in the USAF’s fleet. The earliest models of the B-52 Stratofortress and the C-130 Hercules started flying in 1954. In fact, according to Layne Karafantis, a curator of modern military aircraft at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., “The Air Force has six aircraft types that have been flying for more than fifty years.”


theatlantic

 

[cloud4000]

US is not the only one, Russia still flies Cold War-era aircraft as well. If serves a need then why not fly it?

 

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If it ain't broke, don't fix it. At least that's the motto of the military forces keeping these machines running.


Yes, there are indeed some operational T-34 tanks in third world countries, but good luck finding them! There are also Spitfires, and three candidates from 1957: the Lockheed U-2, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules and the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. But those old units didn't even make it into our top 10.


10.) Tupolev Tu-95

Introduction: 1956
Operator: Russia


Personally, the "Bear" is one of my all time favorite planes. It's a long-range turboprop nuclear bomber. Doesn't get much more badass than that. Bluecoldtells you more:

The Tupolev Tu-95 Bear. Production started in 1952, same as the B52. It was put into service a year later than the B52. However, the B52 was produced from 1952 to 1962. The Bear was produced from 1952 to 1994. I think that counts for something, as does the soundtrack. I like CROR's, the Antonov An 70 made quite an impression in Paris this year.

The Russians will keep it combat ready until at least 2040...


Suggested By: Bluecold, Photo Credit: AP Images



9.) Boeing B-52 Stratofortress

Introduction: 1952
Operator: USA


America's answer to the Bear. Looks environmentally friendly, doesn't it? The government plans to keep it into service well into the 2040s which means it'll have an operational life of nearly 90 years.

Photo Credit: Getty Images


8.) Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17

Introduction: 1952
Operator: Tanzania



The MiG-17 was designed to kick some American *** in the Vietnam War, and so it did. Today though, you could call it slightly outdated. Not like Tanzania is going to face off with an F22 anytime soon.

Photo Credit: StuSeeger


7.) Antonov An-2

Introduced: 1947
Operators: North Korea


The An-2 is used as a brilliant agricultural plane all over the world. But not in North Korea! When they have enough to pay for fuel, the AN-2 is an active part of their deadly fleet...

Photo Credit: Dave Hamster



6.) M3 Stuart

Introduction: 1941
Operator: Paraguay



Paraguay likes to keep it old school too with some WW2 American machinery. Who could blame them? The M3 Stuart is a great choice if you're after light and agile tanks...

Suggested By: manifold engines, wanting for time, Photo Credit: PhotosNormandie



5.) BAP Almirante Grau (CLM-81)

Introduction: 1941
Operator: Peru


The Almirante Grau was originally commissioned into the Royal Netherlands Navy as De Ruyter way back in 1941, and is still in active service with the Peruvian Navy.

A bit of correction from Jod:


Technically commissioned after the war, but was launched (by the German occupation) in 41.

 

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4.) Parnaíba (U17)

Introduction: 1937
Operator: Brazil


Brazil also has a floating museum on the river...

Photo Credit: shipbucket.com/Stugger



3.) Boeing PT-17

Introduction: 1934
Operator: Mexico



Another sort of Boeing down south:

Mexican Air Force still have a few Boeing PT-17 kayoed from the 1930's. They're mostly used for air shows but are still registered as active military planes.

The Mexicans use them as trainers.

Suggested By:Kate's Dirty Sister , Photo Credit: Armchair Aviator

 

[Joe Shearer]

LOVED this thread; left me with a goofy grin on my face!

Thanks, @Fawad Masīd