The Lockheed U-2, also known as "The Dragon Lady," is a Cold War high-altitude surveillance aircraft
flown extensively by the United States Air Force and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
First built in 1955, the U-2 was designed to reach altitudes greater than 70,000 feet. The U-2 was flown
frequently over Soviet military bases and industrial sites to gather intelligence as the United States government felt increasingly
threatened by the USSR's scientific and technological innovations.
At the time, no modern fighter jet or missile was capable of reaching the U-2 at its highest altitudes.
This feat was made possible by the plane's
long, glider-like wings and lightweight alloy construction
.
Wearing a pressure suit, pilots were often able to fly over
3,000 miles of Soviet territory without risk of interception.
While production of the U-2 ended in 1989, the plane is still flown today. The U.S. Air Force and
NASA continue to send the U-2
into the sky to capture high-resolution images and aid scientific research, respectively.
See also: Lockheed U-2 aircraft participating in elephant walk formation at Beale Air Force Base, Yuba County, California (June 2024).
