CNN Article: US loaned U2s to Taiwan, Five Lost over China in 1960s

www.cnn.com...

The U-2 has a long and storied history when it comes to espionage battles between the US and China. In the 1960s and 1970s, at least five of them were shot down while on surveillance missions over China.

Those losses haven’t been as widely reported as might be expected – and for good reason. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which was responsible for all of America’s U-2s at the time the planes were shot down, has never officially explained what they were doing there.

Adding to the mystery was that the planes were being flown not by US pilots nor under a US flag, but by pilots from Taiwan who, in a striking parallel to today’s balloon saga, claimed to be involved in a weather research initiative.

I had no idea any U2s were lost aside from Francis Gary Powers
apparently they got a boatload of intel
they claimed the flights were weather research
so the recent Chinese 'weather' balloons might have been a belated payback

a reply to: ElGoobero

black cat squadron of the ROC,

The Black Cat Squadron (Chinese: 黑貓中隊; pinyin: Hēimāo Zhōngduì), formally the 35th Squadron, was a squadron of the Republic of China Air Force that flew the U-2 surveillance plane out of Taoyuan Air Base in northern Taiwan, from 1961 to 1974. 26 ROCAF pilots successfully completed U-2 training in the US and flew 220 operational missions,[1] with about half over the People's Republic of China.
Black Cat Squadron

Wow that's very interesting!! I wonder what intel they gleaned from it? Nothing substantial I bet.

a reply to: Arnie123

the article said they got a ton of info

a reply to: Arnie123

They got a lot of intel. They flew 220 missions, and covered over 10 million square kilometers. Missions included flights near A-bomb production facilities, nuclear facilities and supply lines.

a reply to: ElGoobero

On October 27, 1962 Rudolf Anderson was shot down on a mission over Cuba. He was on his sixth mission, flying out of McCoy AFB in Orlando. His U-2 was hit by at least one SA-2 launched from Banes, Cuba. The impact depressurized his suit and killed him.

In 1966, Alert F-4s were scrambled to shoot down a U-2 flying out of Barksdale, after the pilot, Capt Robert Hickman, failed to check in with JARCC when he crossed into the Gulf of Mexico. His mission was to fly around Cuba, returning to Barksdale. At this point overflights of Cuba had ended. The F-4s were cleared to fire, but were stood down when they reached the 12 mile limit of Cuba. The U-2 continued over Cuba, and eventually ran out of fuel, crashing in Bolivia. It was found that the aircraft depressurized, killing Capt Hickman long before he ever got to the Gulf.