U-2R SEAT KIT/OXYGEN SYSTEM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP68B00724R000200190058-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 9, 2004
• Sequence Number: 58
• Publication Date: February 6, 1968
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For Release 2004/08/31 :CIA-RDP68B00724R000200190058-7
SECRFsf"I'
Cagy ~ of ! ~.
6 February 1968
ME~t}RANDUM F4R THE RECt3RD
YJB,TECT L~-2R Seat KitJt~xygen System
RTFS s ~1)
(2)
~~}
8 Dec 69
4 Jan 6~
18 Jan Q8
1. tin 24 November 198?, the pi~.ot cif an SRS?l operating
out of Beale AFB experienced a serious incident involving his
life support s~rt~tem. During high altitude cruise, the pilaf
experienced difficulty breathing and detected symptoms of
hypoxia. Uxpgen preseure and quantity guaget~ were normal so
the pilot pulled the green apple and discovered that his Neat
kit mounted pets?>Qa3, lead hoses were disconnected, thereby
separating him f~com both the ship's supply of oxygen and the
seat kit-contained emergency oxygen supply. The pilot initi-
ated an emergency descent and was able to maintain aircraft
+control until. a safe cabin altitude could be reached.
~. Because the seat kits being used in the t~-2R test
aircraft were SRS?1 kits, and because the new seat kits being
prf~duced for production model U-~~R's were tv have a personal
Ieade locking meehanif~m identical to the SR~-7l kit, LAC test
8'x~p personnel {particularly became very concerned ~
Over 'the incident outlined in pe.ragrap above. As an
ix~tcrim measure lew the ih-2R with his seat kit
perspna~. leads sa e'y-w red t4 prevent an inadvertent
disconnect.
3, tan 5 December 1967 the undersigned attended a
meeting at Detachment G to discuss redesign efforts for the
~~R neat kit. Reprel~entatives from LAC, ARt? crf Buffal? and
Detachment G attended this meeting and agreed that production
of the ~-2R kits should be st?pped and that a redesign effort
be expedited. The redesign effort was to be concentrated oa
USAF review(s) completed.
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two arena. (I) to aepar~.te the ship's supply ranting from
the emergency supply in~order to obtain true redundancg,
and ~~~ to improve the locking mechanism holding the
emergency personal-leads into the seat kit.
9.. A follow-up mee~t~.ng was held at the ARC! of Buffalo
plant on 2t} December 1967 which was to review the status of
redesign effort? and to determine an exact course of action.
Unfortunately IBC regresentatives elected not to attend this
meeting, ao definite results co d e ~?ea i edr The life
support representative from the did attend ~~~,
this meeting and therefore became ,am. ar w. the alternate
Live solutions being considered regarding the seat kit
redesign for the U-2R.
S, ~Rn lg January 1968 a meeting ~-as held at LAC,
Burbank to finalize the course of action for the U~~R seat
kit. The following items were agreed to by the attendees
'representing Headquarters, Detachment ~, ARO of Buffalo and
.LJiAi/ r
~., The dual aircraft oxygen supply leads will be
routed to the $?1414 pilot's protective Assembly ~ppA)
thrt~ugh a Beat Mounted Disconnect (SMD), separate from
the seat k~.t/emergency oxygen supply leads to the ppA.
T1q-e 8MI? will be identical to the existing DN>218+Dt3~5
quick disconnect, used euccesefully for many years on
another aircraft, and will be mounted on the right side
of the ejection seat forward of the "scramble handle".
fihis location of the SMD allows the pilot to see and
reach the disconnect for either manually engaging or
disengaging the personal lead hoses (which look into
the disconnect independently). A pull of 4G~ to 64
poux~da (total) is required. to pull the personal leads
frcn~ the disconnect,. which can be exerted either by the
pilot by hand or by simply standing up in the cockpit
ti.e.: for emergency ground egress). During e,~ection,
as the seat leaves the cockpit, a locking pin in the
8MD is pulled which automatically rele~.ses the personal
leads and therefore prevents the pilot from being tied
to his seat by his oxygen hoses, The personal lead
hoses will be routed through channels in the outer
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Hover of the 8-141a pPA from the right thigh region,
uud.er the lap belt, Rnd up to the suit penetration
fitting an the front right 'laver quarter of the torso
near suit centerline.
B. The seat kit/emexgeney oxygen system will not
be Ct3riileC'ted tO~ the ~.ircraft E3xygen systesa in any
mauirxex, but will represent a completely separate supply
and delivery syatem~ 'fhe seat kit caxygen supply will
be (as previvuely designed} a r'drop~in" system for ease
of maintenance and servicing. The Emergency Leads
Quick Disconnect {EL~n~ will be aa~ entirely redesigned
mechanism which will lock the two hoses and "green
apple" cable into the seat kit in a positive manner.
The locking mechanism will be a one piece bar ar pin
which will require a horizontal pull (i.e., 90 degrees
to the long axis of the hose) to release the hoses
{tied into the seat kit release handle. This locking
bar,~pin will. engage the hoses and cable to the maximum
tent possible and will have a visual inspection for
gQ~no-go preflight purpr~ees. The "green app~.e" cable
c+annection to the ELQA will be improved with respect to
positive engagement and gfl/nor-go inspection c~pabil3ty.
T"he hoses from the ELQD will be attached by "Y" fittings
ttt the suit penetration fitting anal will a3eo be routed
through chansela~ in the outer cover of the S