U-2
Lockheed Martin Corporation

A U2 flying over Vandenburg Air Force Base

ER-2 (U2 renamed by NASA) over UCSB Lagoon

Eisenhower funded a civilian based Lockheed to create a plane to fly above Soviet radar and collect information on their current military power. The basic design concept called for a reliable, cost efficient, long range, high altitude platform. The first 55 U-2s were built in the mid-1950s. These aircraft were modified many times creating versions A through H. The last of the original U-2s was retired in 1989. A total of ten survive and are in museums.

U-2A, First Flight - Aug '55
U-2R, First Flight - Aug '67

By the mid 1960s a new U-2 with greater range and payload was needed. The U-2R was created. It is 40% larger than the U-2A, has four times the payload and twice the range as the U-2A. Twelve of these aircraft were built, six for the CIA and six for the USAF. Four survive.

In the late 1970s, a requirement to provide a wartime, all-weather, deep-look battlefield reconnaissance and surveillance capability resulted in opening the U-2 production line for a third time. This time 37 aircraft were produced. Twenty-eight were designated as TR-1 aircraft and earmarked to support NATO in wartime. Seven were in support of the intelligence community and designated as U-2Rs. Two were bought by NASA and designated as ER-2s. In 1992, all TR-1s were redesignated as U-2Rs.

The U-2 was designed and built for surveillance missions in the thin atmosphere above 55,000 feet. An unusual single engine aircraft with glider wings, it was the product of Lockheed's Skunk Works in Burbank, California. The U-2 made its first flight in August 1955 and began operational service in 1956.

Its employment was kept secret until May 1, 1960 when a U2 was shot down over Russia, and its pilot, Gary Powers, was put in Russian prison for two years. On February 10, 1962 he was exchanged for a captured Russian spy at the Berlin border. This had a profound effect on military surveillance strategies as well as made it public knowledge to the world that "big brother" was watching.

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Inflatable High Altitude Flight Suit, Francis Gary Powers, and at hearings in 1962 before the Senate.

Francis Gary Powers, pictured above, was shot down over Russian on May 1, 1960. He was held in prison until 1962 when the US negotiated a trade for a soviet spy that took place over the Glienicke Bridge in Berlin. Francis was criticized by the CIA for not using the self-destruct capability of the plane or taking his own life. He died in 1977 when the LA news helicopter he was flying crashed. His family received a Prisoner-of-War Medal for his service in May of 2000.

On October 14, 1962, Maj. Richard S. Heyser piloted a U-2 over Cuba to obtain the first photos of Soviets preparing nuclear missile sites. Maj. Rudolph Anderson, Jr. was killed on a similar mission eight days later when his U-2 was shot down.

A U2-R reconnaissance aircraft aboard the aircraft carrier USS America. After landing and takeoff trials, U2s were launched from carrier decks on a limited basis to conduct flights in areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. Using midair refueling makes recon missions obvious to radar but launching them from carriers in the Indian Ocean made Russia accessible.

Span: 80 ft.
Length: 49 ft. 7 in.
Height: 13 ft.
Weight: 15,850 lbs. (17,270 lbs. with external fuel tanks)
Armament: None
Engine: Pratt & Whitney J57-P-37A of 11,000 lbs. thrust (J75-P-13 of 17,000 lbs. thrust for later models)

Maximum speed: 494 mph
Cruising speed: 460 mph
Range: 2,220 miles (over 3,000 miles for later models - that's a LONG time in the cockpit!)
Service Ceiling: Above 55,000 ft. (above 70,000 ft. for later models)
ER2 Sensor Complement (80kb Graphic)

More Info
http://www.area51zone.com/aircraft/u2.shtml
http://www.geocities.com/siafdu/powers.html