Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

High altitude earth resources research aircraft

Power Plant:

One 19,000 lbst General Electric F118-101 turbofan

Specifications:

History:

The ER-2 is a derivative of the Lockheed U-2 series built for the North American Space Administration (NASA). The first aircraft was delivered in 1981, being based at the Dryden Flight Research Center (which later became the Armstrong Flight Research Center) and, like the U-2s before it, which had been obtained from 1971, has been used for high-altitude research including earth resources, celestial observations, atmospheric chemistry and dynamics, and oceanic processes. A range of programs was designed using the aircraft and these included the Airborne Science Program and Earth Science Enterprise.

The first ER-2 was flown in 1981, the aircraft initially being passed from Lockheed to the USAF as the contracting agency on 10 June that year, and then to NASA, which became the operating agency. It was developed by the Advanced Development Projects group of Lockheed California, commonly known as the “Skunk Works”. It used the airframe of the U-2R and was similar to the TR-1A variant but differed mainly in the mission payload and electrical wiring required for the sensors.

The first machine had the tail number 709 and it has seen operations around the world. It (USAF serial 80-1063 – NASA No 706 – N809NA) was initially fitted with the Pratt & Whitney J-57 engine, as were the other two later delivered, but in 1996 was re-engined with the General Electric F118 engine, in common with the U-2R. The second and third aircraft were obtained in 1989 and later became NASA 708 – 80-1069 (N806NA) and NASA 709 – 80-1097 (N809NA), these in the late 1990s also being re-engined.

Following installation of the GE F118 engine the fleet comprised three aircraft, which have been used for research into natural disasters in North America, these including floods, forest fires, and earthquakes. It is a single-seat aircraft in which the pilot is fitted with a pressurised suit and breathes pure oxygen during extended flights. It is described as having “an extraordinary rate of climb”. Operating altitude is said to be 24,285 m (80,000 ft). It was initially operated by the High Altitude Missions Branch, Airborne Missions and Applications Division at the Ames Research Centre and was flown by Martin Knutson, chief of the NASA Division, and five pilots on contract from Lockheed.

At one stage the aircraft based at NASA Armstrong Building in Palmdale, California, were used for electronic sensor research and development, satellite calibration and satellite data validation. Over the years NASA’s aircraft have flown more than 4,500 data missions and test flights in support of scientific research. They have played an important role in earth science research because of their ability to fly into the lower stratosphere at subsonic speeds, enabling direct stratospheric sampling as well as virtual satellite simulation missions.

In August and September 1987 an ER-2 travelled to Chile to conduct flights over the Antarctic and in 1999-2000 an ER-2, along with the NASA Douglas DC-8 flying science platform, was based in Kiruna, Sweden to carry out measurements of the ozone in the Arctic stratosphere. In July 2005 one flew to Central America, flying over several hurricanes collecting data. The ER-2 has travelled to six continents for research projects. It can reach 19,812 m (65,000 ft) within 20 minutes. It has four pressurised experiment compartments and a high capacity AC/DC electrical system permitting the carrying of a variety of payloads.

An example (tail code 706) visited Australia, being based at Darwin, NT during January and February 1986. This was a project described as a “Stratosphere – Troposphere Exchange Project [STEP]”. Planning for the project took place over a couple of years, but operations commenced quickly depending on the suitability of the cloud cover. The investigations were aimed at observing the dryness of the stratosphere and investigating the mechanism and rates of irreversible transfer of mass, trace gases and aerosols from troposphere to stratosphere, and within the lower stratosphere. Darwin was chosen for the final stage of the experiments as the best place to investigate the high cumulonimbus clouds. Funding for the project came from the US Government’s involvement with NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Also involved with the operations in Darwin were a Lockheed WR-3B and a Fokker F-27 Friendship operated for the Australian CSIRO, the latter operating at the time from Gove. More than 250 Australian, American and Chinese scientists and technicians were based in Darwin at the time of these operations.

In 1994 another ER-2 example (NASA 709 – 80-1097 – N889NA) operated from Christchurch, New Zealand on air sampling over the southern ocean.

The aircraft, like the Lockheed U-2 series, was known for its difficulty in landing. Its pilots are assisted by another pilot in a chase car talking to the pilot by radio travelling at high-speed along the runway behind the aircraft. The aircraft is capable of carrying a payload of 1,814 kg (2,600 lb) in the equipment bay behind the cockpit, nose area and wing pods. Experiments could also be carried under the fuselage and on the wing trailing edges. On 19 November 1998 one of the aircraft reached an altitude of 20,940 m (68,700 ft).
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