Fun With Google Earth

[Bob Kohm]

Stumbled across something interesting on Google Earth while checking out a story today. The approximate coordinates are 6` 52'23.24S / 39`12'03.48E .

What did I find that as far as I can tell absolutely shouldn't be there?

[Kevin Seitzer]

The coordinates are to a hangar at Julius Nyerere airport in Tanzania, but I can't tell what the airplanes are.

[billbuckner]

Women have always admired my longitude

[revo]

The coordinates are to a hangar at Julius Nyerere airport in Tanzania, but I can't tell what the airplanes are.

whatever they are, they're probably not there any longer, as the image is from 2/24/07.

[Bob Kohm]

whatever they are, they're probably not there any longer, as the image is from 2/24/07.

But as far as I can tell, there's no record of it ever operating from there.

[BuckyBuckner]

So let's pretend I'm dumb, ok that was easier than I thought, am I just looking at a plane? What kind of plane in particular?

[Bob Kohm]

So let's pretend I'm dumb, ok that was easier than I thought, am I just looking at a plane? What kind of plane in particular?

The one with the extremely distinctive configuration-- 103' wingspan, long engine nacelles near the wing roots...

[BuckyBuckner]

The one with the extremely distinctive configuration-- 103' wingspan, long engine nacelles near the wing roots...

I saw the plane, I saw that it was big. But what is the significance of it, what kind of plane is it? Kind like the passover question, how is this plane different from all other plans?

Your not pretending hard enough that I'm dumb.

[heyelander]

I saw the plane, I saw that it was big. But what is the significance of it, what kind of plane is it? Kind like the passover question, how is this plane different from all other plans?

Your not pretending hard enough that I'm dumb.

i think PD signed on with Bob's name.

[Bob Kohm]

Nah, this is pretty straight forward... the answer won;t change and there's no more info to come. There's an iconic aircraft on that ramp and one that operates (still, 50 years into its service) in a state of high secrecy. There's no ecord of it operating out of this airport and that makes it very surprising that it hasn'y been removed fromt he shot (as it has in other Google Earth shots).

[Kevin Seitzer]

The U-2 spy plane? That was my first guess, but I didn't know it was still in operation.

[Bob Kohm]

The U-2 spy plane? That was my first guess, but I didn't know it was still in operation.

Ding ding ding. The U2 is still very much in operation carrying out highly classified missions in addition to being an indispensable battlefield spotter in Afghanistan...and very much not, as far as I've found, advertised as operating out of Dar es Salaam. It's a high maintenance aircraft with longer runway requirements, so to operate it out of a field like Nyerere says the task that had it there was of a high priority-- this plane was there because the USAF or CIA *really* wanted it there. It could have been there supporting CJTF Horn of Africa, but that's unlikely, imo, given the duties of the Task Force. In the time frame the imagery was shot there was a lot of talk about SEALs and other high end Special Forces operating in the back country of Somalia-- this could be evidence of that.

It's always worth keeping your eyes open when you play with Google Earth-- you see some very interesting stuff that the various censors don't always get to.

[amcg]

Anyone feel like posting a screenshot?

[Kevin Seitzer]

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=-6.873,39.201

[amcg]

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=-6.873,39.201

Thanks!