'Unknown' aircraft at Akrotiri
 

Don't know how long it will be there but on www.zoom.earth/#34.587014,33.000716,19z,map is a 'strange' aircraft lined up on 28.

Can't see anything?

Unknown? It's one of the most famous aircraft around.

Look hard enough and you too could see it.

Not that unknown!!

There is a U2 and a couple of vehicles on the threshold.
Is there something there that shouldn't be there, or something that should be there that isn't?
Sorry - this has me baffled. What on earth do the replies above refer to?

Sshhhh - Aurora?

Looks like a 'Dragon Lady' to me.

That's the aircraft that wasn't there in 1975, and still wasn't there when I went back in 2004.

"If we are not here where the hell are we"
 

Wasn't there in '86 when I visited with cadets for 10 days either.

Lying on my pit recovering from a night in the Green Rock when someone came in and said "did you see the U2 taking off?"

Never had another chance.

Cobra Ball at Mildenhall today though, a far rarer beast.

"Dates for Bings Maps imagery can’t be determined"

NAS North Island (Coronado)
 

I certainly didn't see a U-2 landing at Akrotiri when I was standing at the bar on the stern of Queen Victoria leaving Limassol harbour a few years ago...

I most certainly didn't see one in Akrotiri or Alconbury and I've never seen a SR71 in Okinawa.

I didn't see them both in a hangar on the W coast of the USA

I believe that ATC in Akrotiri had a close encounter once.

They didn't see that one coming.

An ATC cadet on my squadron was at Akrotiri for a Summer camp in the late 80's. He mentioned that there was an interesting type of aircraft that he'd never seen before.

I was there on camp around that time. I remember some VRT type come rushing out of the camp office shouting at all in earshot not to take any pictures of that aeroplane that isn't there as it didn't roar away on take off :ok:

I too remember not seeing it there several times and not hearing it and not being given access to the hangar it wasn't kept in

I know everyone likes to thonk they've seen something secret but would anyone really get worked up about a few photos of a U2?
ISTR one doing curcuits at Sculthorpe when I was visiting in the early 90s.

Just as long as it completes it's take off run and rotates gently into the sky at 15k fpm.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....6899a16e65.jpg

Something, somewhere.....

One definitely did not come and do a couple of circuits at Swinderby in 92, oh no...

Indeed, the port wingtips missing!!
Actually, looking closely you can see he's taken the cable too.

Google shows its probably an aircraft that was involved in a collision in Nov 2016.
The other F18 involved crashed but the pilot is reported as being rescued.

It wasn't there when I wasn't there for the last time in 1974.

Didn't see it on any of my several visits to Akrotiri. There were often 'weather balloons' to be seen there but nothing like a U2. And I never heard anything like the following either

"AKT Approach this is Weather Balloon 123. 80 miles out with engine failure"

"WB 123, ok, we'll launch the rescue boats"

"No need Akt, I'll just glide in"

Those OLIVE missions in the Med have been going on for at least four decades I would say.

Nice U-2 flyover at last night's NCAA College Football Championship Game:

A U-2 Spy Plane Just Did The Flyover For The College Football National Championship Game - The Drive

We were on the beach at the east end of the SBA near the harbour when one came in to land; far from being a VRT type (like us) who tried to stop us photographing it, the Deputy ACLO was running round shouting 'you can't take a picture of that'.
He also tried it when a decidedly non standard looking Nimrod came in to land later.
As for noise, they generally took off as we were walking across to the mess for brekky about 7am noisy buggers.

Southbound on the A1 in a coach in '87, someone said 'ooh look, big gliders'. It was 3 of them in the circuit at Alconbury.

Google is your friend.

1. 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing Detachment 3, RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus (U-2)

Initially Central Intelligence Agency Detachment "G" (August 1970) after Egypt/Israel Suez Canal fighting and cease fire. Later permanent monitoring of Middle East Ceasefire after 1973 Yom Kippur War. Became 100th SRW OL "Olive Harvest" (1974). Turned over to 9th SRW September 1976, the U-2 operation at RAF Akrotiri continued to be called Operating Location OH until September 1980, then it became Detachment 3 of the 9th SRW, although the name OLIVE HARVEST continues. Two U-2's are stationed at RAF Akrotiri and they are still monitoring the ceasefire agreement between the Egypt and Israel although the present operations in Central Command requires further missions. U-2's also transit through RAF Akrotiri either on going into USAFCENT theater or returning to Beale AFB.

And it couldn't possibly have been the same one that did two rollers at Shawbury -- of all places -- about the same time.