Strange aircraft over sligo!

[Fouga]

Quote:"the U-2 idea sounds a little off, why would a plane which can fly well over any radar in the country bother to ask for permission to transit irish airspace"

I hope you mean Irish Radar?

Just because it flies high doesnt mean it cant be Shot down, remember Gary Powers....

Not as if we would be able to shoot it down of course!

[Silver]

Sounds more like an RAF Hawk Jet .... "little jet", "black", "short wings" ....

[Claudel Hopson]

Blew up the picture and there are 4 contrails merging into 2. Could it be a B1B Lancer USAF?

[Bailer]

The U2 had a massive Wingspan not short wings also it was a Long aircraft aswell and would look like a + from the ground,

I wasn't sure about the transponder. Thanks for clearing it up!.

[P.Doff]

It does look awfully like a U2! Some variants of it had much shorter wings than the norm, but I think theyre long gone from service. It does also have a bit of B1B about it aswell!? Hard to say really without a clearer image.

[alpha foxtrot 07]

RAF hawk sounds very possible there black
as far as radar coverage goes, irish radar goes to about 40000 to 50000 feet and the U2 cruises at 80000ft

[Fouga]

Looks like a B1b, we had one for Salthill last year, flew all the way from South Dakota to Portugal, then up to Salthill for 2 passes and then back to the US! God what an awful amount of money it cost for that i guess he he '>

No way is that a Picture of an Alpha Jet, the alpha jet is Stubby and the wings are just right behind the cockpit, my guess is that it is either a B1b or a U2!

[John K]

Could it have been a stealth bomber? They're an unusual shape, or a B1?

[Silver]

I agree - looks like a B1B to me !

[Claudel Hopson]

Lads Buzz never mentioned the plane being spotted by radar, he says he saw the plane with a Mk 1 eyeball and put his camera on it. Don't knock out the F117 yet.

In fairness never thought of a Hawk Trainer

[P.Doff]

Bet the B1B passes at salthill didnt cost as much as the B2 at fairford this year!! It flew from the states done a couple of passes and flew back again,two days in a row!!!!

[alpha foxtrot 07]

the U-2 idea sounds a little off, why would a plane which can fly well over any radar in the country bother to ask for permission to transit irish airspace and the 117 wouldn't even appear on the radar.
one other thing the U-2 does carry a transponder you just turn it off when you don't want to squawk anything

[irishsamourai]

maybe a RAF bae hawk with the black bucanner flag
or a blackbird sr71
or the aurora projet  

[Turkey]

The most likely explaination[also the most boreing] is a dark coloured biz-jet, sorry!
But if you look at the attuide of the aircraft, it seems to have that nose-up angle of either the F-16 or the B-1, but, errr!
Pity, no one was there with a 1000mm Nikor. '> and mayby a 2X converter.

[P.Doff]

Come to think of it, I did hear one of the lads mention something about a "little jet" yesterday, but didnt take much notice of it! I'll have a sniff around and see what I come up with!