", "50th Anniversary Night Forced Landing in Cortez, CO (Slideshow/video in both Chinese and English). At the battle of Midway, three planes from VP-24 and one plane from VP-51 made a night torpedo attack on Japanese ships. This mission was unsuccessful, as nothing was heard from the pods. The team is composed of two AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA.2 anti-submarine and anti-shipping helicopters, with the aircraft and crews drawn from 825 Naval Air Squadron based at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset.
In July 1960, the CIA provided the ROC with its first two U-2Cs, and in December the squadron flew its first mission over mainland China.
The Wildcat Demo Team (Black Cats) are the Royal Navy's helicopter display team. Since the 1950s, the Republic of China Air Force had used the RB-57A/D aircraft for reconnaissance missions over the PRC, but suffered two losses when MiG-17s and SA-2 Surface-to-Air Missiles were able to intercept the aircraft. BLACK CATS PROWLED AFTER THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY By Geoge Poulas VP-11 Squadron Squadron Picture Squadron Picture taken at Palm Island near Townsville, Queensland, Australia, 1943. The "Cat" was also used for Air Sea Rescue missions, which became known as the "Dumbo" missions. Each of the 35th Squadron's operational missions had to be approved by both the US and the Taiwan/ROC presidents beforehand. Torpodes run made with one hit...." George Winter pbycat@bellsouth.net, A BIT OF HISTORY: BlackCat History "...Recently Life Magazine (US) and Google placed the Life Magazine photo archives on-line. During the squadron's 14 years of existence, five U-2's were shot down by PRC air defenses, with three pilots killed and 2 pilots captured. This was unfortunate, as the People's Republic of China conducted a test of its first thermonuclear device in Test No. But instead of being under normal USAF control, the project was known as Project RAZOR,[4][5] and was run directly by CIA with USAF assistance.
In 1968, the ROC U-2C/F/G fleet was replaced with the newer U-2R. The ROCAF pilots and ground support crew would never know their US counterpart's real name and rank/title, or which US government agencies they were dealing with. According to Samuel Eliot Morison's "The Struggle For Guadalcanal," the "Black Cats" were a game-changer. A total of 26 out of 28 ROC pilots sent to the US completed training between 1959 and 1973, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. The Black Cats were formed in 2001 and performed with the Westland Lynx. [14], At the end of ROC's U-2 operations, out of a total of 19 U-2C/F/G/R aircraft operated by the 35th Squadron from 1959 to 1974, 11 were lost. ", Republic of China Armed Forces Museum - Black Cat Squadron Special Exhibition, Freedom Flight - the true story of U2 pilot Chang-di Yeh, TaiwanAirPower.org The Blackcat Squadron U-2 Operations, General Mike Hua's page, including clips and video of Blackcat Squadron, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Black_Cat_Squadron?oldid=2621065. For this purpose the ROC pilots flew as far as Gansu and other remote regions in northwest China. U.S. Navy PBY squadron VP-52 between November 1943 and June 1944 destroyed or damaged 16 enemy ships. The team won the Steadman Sword for the best British participant at the Royal International Air Tattoo in 2003 and as "Les Chats Noirs" performed at the French Navy's 30th Anniversary of operating the Lynx at Lanveoc in Brittany. Colonel Lu was born in Shanghai on December 27, 1923 and completed his training in the US. During the 2015 season the team only used the AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA.2.
[2], The squadron usually had only two U-2 assigned to it, sometimes down to just one aircraft. 26 ROCAF pilots successfully completed U-2 training in the US and flew 220 operational missions, including 102 surveillance flights over the People's Republic of China.[1]. Only in late 1960s did the USAF agree to share a complete set of mission photos and help Taiwan set up a photo development and interpretation unit at Taoyuan AB. After that, all missions had the U-2 aircraft fly outside a buffer zone at least 20 nautical miles (37 km) around China. A BIT OF HISTORY: "...In the Pacific the legend of the "Black Cats" was born when the Catalina was painted flat black and flew night assaults against the Japanese fleet. Circa 1940's..." WebSite: Google Image Search http://images.google.com/hosted/life/ Contributed by John Szalay john.szalay@att.net [20JUN2010], http://www.militarynewcomers.com/WHID/Resources/Tenantcommands.html, http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1990s/1991/nd91.pdf, http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1980s/1982/oct82.pdf, http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1940s/1945/15mar45.pdf, http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1940s/1945/15feb45.pdf, http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1940s/1944/1nov44.pdf. When the squadron was formed in 1961, Colonel Lu Xiliang (盧錫良) became its first commander and would become its longest-serving squadron commander. It is assigned to the 9th Operations Group, Air Combat Command, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. The formal designation of the squadron was the 35th Squadron, operating under the cover of a high altitude weather research squadron. However, with the coming of the Sino-Soviet split and the rapprochement between the US and the PRC, the ROC U-2 squadron stopped entering Chinese airspace, and instead only conducted electronic surveillance plus photo reconnaissance missions with new Long-Range Oblique Reconnaissance (LOROP) cameras on the U-2R while flying over international waters. The 2014 season was the last year with the Lynx HMA.8. To this end, the CIA initiated a program, code named Tabasco, to develop a sensor pod that could be dropped into the Takla Makan desert, near the Chinese nuclear test site. In this role you might even say that the "Black Cat" was the first stealth fighter, as it was nearly impossible to see flying low above the water at night. The Navy's "Black Cats" performed reconnaissance, air sea rescue, dive bombing, mine laying, and torpedo attack missions using just star sightings for night navigation. In the past 50 years, the World Watchers have used aircraft such as the P4M-IQ Mercator, A-3 Skywarrior, WPBYV-2Q Super Constellation and the EP-3..." WebSite: http://www.militarynewcomers.com/WHID/Resources/Tenantcommands.html [16OCT2004] Many a downed pilot was picked up in what were sometimes very dangerous conditions..." WebSite: http://www.qsl.net/n3yqh/WWII/pby.htm [16OCT2004], A BIT OF HISTORY: "...In the Pacific the legend of the "Black Cats" was born when the Catalina was painted flat black and flew night assaults against the Japanese fleet. Not all PBY's were used in an attack role. The last U-2 aircraft mission over mainland China took place on 16 March 1968. The Black Cat Squadron (Chinese: 黑貓中隊; pinyin: hēi māo zhōngduì) (not to be confused with Black Bat Squadron) was a squadron of the Republic of China Air Force that flew the U-2 surveillance plane out of Taoyuan Airbase in northern Taiwan, from 1961 to 1974. [18][19][20], U-2 Operational missions by ROCAF 35th Sq, Articles containing traditional Chinese-language text, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Squadrons of the Republic of China Air Force, http://www.taiwanairpower.org/u2/pilots.html, http://www.taiwanairpower.org/u2/losses.html, http://www.taiwanairpower.org/u2/aircraft.html, "U-2 pilot will land again Former Air Force major will speak about 1959 landing in Cortez. After his retirement, he and his family immigrated to Los Angeles in 1986, where he became an ardent activist for ROCAF POWs' rights, particularly the right of POWs to return to Taiwan to reunite with their families after imprisonment in mainland China.
They confirmed that shows in 2020 would also feature a solo display. In 1958, ROC and American authorities reached an agreement to create the 35th Squadron, nicknamed the Black Cat Squadron, composed of two U-2Cs in Taoyuan Airbase in northern Taiwan, at an isolated part of the airbase. These Black Cats did a little bit of everything. The only other U-2 operator than USAF and CIA was the Republic of China (Taiwan), which flew missions mostly over the People's Republic of China (PRC). Other countries were also covered from time to time by the 35th Squadron, such as North Korea,[11] North Vietnam and Laos, but the main objective of the ROC 35th Squadron was to conduct reconnaissance missions assessing the PRC's nuclear capabilities. A second U-2 mission was flown to the area by a Black Cat squadron U-2 flown by Bill Chang on 31 August 1967. To the US government, the 35th Squadron and any US CIA/USAF personnel assigned to the unit were known as Detachment H on all documents. The Navy's "Black Cats" performed reconnaissance, air sea rescue, dive bombing, mine laying, and torpedo attack missions using just star sightings for night navigation. Seven other Black Cat U-2s were lost during training missions, killing 6 pilots. Many a downed pilot was picked up in what were sometimes very dangerous conditions..." WebSite: http://www.qsl.net/n3yqh/WWII/pby.htm [16OCT2004], A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Former Black Cat Retires - Naval Aviation News - November-December 1991..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1990s/1991/nd91.pdf [25OCT2004], A BIT OF HISTORY: "...The Black Cats - Page 10 to 11 - Naval Aviation News - October 1982..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1980s/1982/oct82.pdf [16OCT2004], A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Black Cat Scores Heavily - Naval Aviation News - March 1945.." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1940s/1945/15mar45.pdf [10NOV2004], A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Japs Played Host - Naval Aviation News - February 1945.." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1940s/1945/15feb45.pdf [10NOV2004], A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Black Cats Come Home - Naval Aviation News - November 1944..." WebSite: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/1940s/1944/1nov44.pdf [07NOV2004], A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Black Cats prowled after the Battle of Midway By Geoge Poulas VP-11 Squadron. From 2019, the Black Cats rebranded as the ‘Wildcat Demo Team’ and operate only one aircraft. For their first three display seasons, the team was known as the 'Lynx Pair' – the "Black Cats" title was applied in 2004. 99th RS Black Cats Nose Art The 99th Reconnaissance Squadron is a squadron of the United States Air Force. The squadron is equipped with the U-2 Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft. One other pilot was killed while performing an operational mission off China coast. [15][17] On 29 July 1974, the two remaining U-2R aircraft in ROC possession were flown from Taoyuan AB in Taiwan to Edwards AFB, California, US, and turned over to the USAF. To create the typical misdirections at the time, the unit was created under the cover of high altitude weather research missions for ROCAF. Some of the missions, due to mission requirements and range, plus to add some element of surprise, had the 35th Squadron's U-2s flying from or recovered at other US air bases in Southeast Asia and Eastern Asia, such as K-8 (Kunsan) in South Korea, or Tikhli in Thailand. Black Cats "The first official Black Cat squadron was VP-12, which operated its PBY-5As from NAB Henderson/Carney Field, Guadalcanal, scouring the New Georgia Sound for Japanese warships and cargo vessels that came south at night to supply their troops andto bombard U.S. positions.As the allied offensive gathered momentum, the Black Cats moved westward in the vanguard, operating from … In this role you might even say that the "Black Cat" was the first stealth fighter, as it was nearly impossible to see flying low above the water at night.