U-2 is a military airplane used by the United States Air Force. The U-2 is a single-engine, jet-powered surveillance aircraft (spy plane). It was designed by the Lockheed Corporation. The letter U stands for utility, but the designation is purposefully unclear. The plane’s original role was secret reconnaissance (information gathering), or espionage (spying). The U-2 became famous during the Cold War, a period of intense rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union in the middle and late 1900’s. Nicknamed the Dragon Lady, the U-2 is one of the world’s highest-flying airplanes.
Lockheed aeronautical engineer Kelly Johnson designed the U-2. Johnson’s other revolutionary designs included the P-38 Lightning and SR-71 Blackbird .
Most U-2’s carry a pilot, cameras, radar, and other sensory equipment, but no weapons. The plane’s top speed is about 500 miles (800 kilometers) per hour. The U-2 can reach altitudes above 70,000 feet (21,000 meters). Such extreme elevation requires U-2 pilots to wear pressurized space suits. Over the plane’s long history, its range has increased to over 7,000 miles (11,000 kilometers).
The U-2’s unique design includes long, gliderlike wings for operation in the thin atmosphere of high elevations. Various features of the U-2 make it a difficult aircraft to fly. The plane requires a _chase car—_an automobile following the plane on the ground—to help direct takeoffs and landings.
The Lockheed Corporation tested a U-2 prototype (early model) in August 1955. Secret U-2 flights over the Soviet Union began in July 1956. The Soviets soon developed antiaircraft missiles that could reach the U-2’s altitude.
On May 1, 1960, a missile strike disabled a U-2 over the Soviet Union, forcing the pilot to bail out. The United States at first tried to cover up the U-2’s mission. However, the captured pilot and the plane’s wreckage forced the United States to admit to spying. The “U-2 incident” further strained U.S.-Soviet relations at a time of already high tensions. In October 1962, U-2 missions discovered Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, leading to the Cuban missile crisis. See Cuban missile crisis .
The U-2 has flown for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Modernized U-2’s continue to serve the Air Force.
See also Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) ; Cold War ; Lockheed Corporation .
