The not so cold war
 

http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_301.shtml

At times I think I was born about 30 years too late. The aviation spy trade of the 50's and 60's holds great interest to me. While researching any new books that might be out about the subject I came across this site. It might useful to some of you.
I do find some of the intercepted aircraft interesting, a civilian aero commander aircraft peaks my curiosity.

West Coast,

What do you know or suspect about the Aero Commander?

From a Google search I would hazard a guess it was Imperial Iranian Air Force and the interceptor was a possibly an air army aircraft not IAPVO.

The occasion would seem pretty obvious. What might be curious is who was the crew.

An aero commander is usually enlisted for either corporate or private transportation, somewhat an unusual platform for something clandestine. Unless of course it was hiding in plain sight.

West Coast, I think you have it right.

Look here:

http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/C...untry/Iran.htm

I recall a story at the time that it was seduced over the border. A radio beacon at Lake Van was frequently subject to meaconing in a blatant attempt to seduce allied aircraft to infringe USSR air space. I seem to recall a C130 suffered a similar fate.

Try:

"I Always Wanted to Fly: America's Cold War Airmen" by Col (ret) Wolfgang Samuel. It is a compilation of various guys' stories, drags sometimes in the "I grew on in Kansas and played baseball" memories, but is very good in the flying parts.


"Spyflights of the Cold War" by Paul Lashmer. A good, quick read.

and, a bit dated, but still good,

"Mayday" by Michael Beschloss. Much about the political situation of the time, but good details about the CIA program, the U-2 development,
the SA-2s, etc.

Wonder what the story was behind a Su-15TM taking down a 747?

Curiosity & Google skills got the better of me.

The Story

Feel for the Pax and Crew.

Interesting victory!

196? Tu-95 manoeuver (weapon) RAF Lightning

...anyone know more

Brick
Thanks for the recommendations. The wife is asking for my Christmas list, I might have to add a few of those to it.


Anyone else know of any other good books about the aviation spy trade during the cold war?

The Price of Vigilance - Attacks on American Surveillance Flights by Larry Tart & Robert Keefe - 2001 - ISBN 0-8041-1911-2

"by any means necessary" is a very good book
ISBN 0-09-943625-6

The founder of the website is prone to getting a bit carried away with stories and tales. The histories of Lightning losses in the UK are well documented. Notice that an exact date has not been produced?

Could it have been the practice intercept against the Shackleton playing Bear?


I think this was the idea : http://www.combataircraft.com/tactic...ty_vector.aspx

but he got too slow and stalled in. A difficult manoeuvre especially at night over the sea.

PN wrote

Possibly, but that was in late 1970 involving USAF exchange officer Captain William Schaffner.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/yorks...bduction.shtml

That's a memory from a previous life. (Before becoming light blue) I was the MHCO (Minehunting Control Officer) on HMS Kedleston at the end of 1970 when we were tasked to search for that Lightning. Had a large-ish area to search off Flamborough Head, but if the old memory serves me right we found it in about a week. Helped that the aircraft was intact on the seabed, so came up like the proverbial on the sonar screen.