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Inside The Spy Plane That Was At The Center Of Kennedy's Cuban Missile Crisis
DefenseAt it's top altitude, if the spy plane's engine went down, it could glide more than 250 miles
Pilots were required to keep the bird in a five knot speed window
The U2 was the flimsiest bird ever built at the time, so fly too fast, and it breaks apart
Fly too slow, and it stalls and falls out of the sky
Pilots were required the use of a sut radically different from a pilot's typic flight suit
All of the technology was state of the art
Pilots and crew were among the most elite air crews in the American military
With not just the operational prowess, but the intelligence to pilot the program
Once airborne, the views were incredible
It was a titan in the sky when everyone was clamoring for an edge
Pilots who worked in the program were among the most elite in the country, and were eventually recruited into the CIA's espionage program against communist Russia
With the Cold War raging, the military desperately wanted a powerful reconnaissance aircraft
Lockheed Skunk Works, the top-secret wing of the aircraft manufacturer, tried to jump into the competition
The military didn't want Lockheed's design, a stripped down version of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter with glider-like long wings
The thing is, the CIA did, so Lockheed's Bald Eagle program became the CIA's Dragon Lady program
The project soon got the name of U-2, "U" being the prefix for deliberately vague "Utility" aircraft
The aircraft has one of the most unique designs in the sky, making it one of the most difficult planes to pilot
The U-2 has "bicycle" style landing gear, two sets of wheels on the fuselage — that's it
When it takes off, two sets of utility wheels are put on to the middles of the wings for support — these fall off after takeoff
It lands on the two wheels along the fuselage, and the wings have titanium skids on the tips to protect them.
The pilot wears the equivalent of a space suit when flying it because of the high operating altitude
Various versions of the U-2 use different kinds of engines, but generally earlier versions used Pratt & Whitney Turbojet engines while later aircraft use GE Turbofan engines
One issue with flying the aircraft is that its maximum speed is very, very slow — this is deliberate, as it makes the plane very difficult to track
The problem is that — in a few versions — there is a ten-knot window between the aircraft's top speed and the speed where the plane stalls in the air
The airplanes also need to be loaded in an extremely balanced manner — they're very easy to tip
Despite all of these drawbacks, the U-2 has remained in service for generations simply because it's so good at what it does
The CIA was using the U-2 long before the Air Force or Navy started flying it
This was because of the diplomatic problems inherent in flying military aircraft over another country
The first flight of the U-2 was one from West Germany, over Poland, Bellorussia, and the Soviet Union on the fourth of July in 1956
The U-2 became infamous when CIA pilot Gary Power was shot down over Soviet territory in May 1960
In 1962 a U-2 flying over Cuba observed Soviet forces installing nuclear missiles, kicking off the Cuban Missile Crisis
U-2s carried out Recon missions over Vietnam during the early stages of that war, and the only loss of a U-2 in combat took place in 1966 due to mechanical problems over North Vietnam
The aircraft has a crew of one and a 103 foot wingspan
It's got a maximum speed of 500 mph and a cruise speed of 430 mph
Earlier versions had a much shorter wingspan than the most commonly used iteration, the U-2B
The big advantage of the U-2 is that it has a maximum service ceiling of at least 70,000 feet
It's got an empty weight of 14,300 lbs, and can carry an absolute maximum of 25,000lbs worth of surveillance equipment.
The U-2's long history of service will come to an end in the next few years as the aircraft is replaced by aerial drones
The drones will allow the U.S. to carry out recon without the possibility of pilot loss, one of the major historical drawbacks of the U-2
Still, it's important to remember that this spy plane has been one of the most consequential aircraft of the 20th Century
When the U-2 flies its final flight, it will certainly spell the end of an era.
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