Lockheed U-2

History

The U-2 project was initiated in the early 1950s by the CIA which desperately wanted accurate information on the Soviet Union. It was thought a high altitude aircraft such as the U-2 would be hard to detect and impossible to shoot down. Lockheed Martin was given the assignment with an unlimited budget and a short time frame. Its Skunkworks, headed by Clarence "Kelly" Johnson performed remarkably, the first flight occurred in August 1955. New cameras were also developed by Kodak, and they also worked well. It made its first over-flight of the Soviet Union in June 1956.

Related Topics:
1950s - CIA - Soviet Union - Lockheed Martin - Skunkworks - 1955 - 1956

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The aircraft came to public attention during the U-2 Crisis when pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down over Soviet territory on May 1 1960. On October 14, 1962, it was a U-2 from the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing that photographed the Soviet military installing nuclear warhead missiles in Cuba, precipitating the Cuban missile crisis. However, later in the Cuban missile crisis, another U-2 was shot down, killing Major Rudolph Anderson, the pilot. Major Anderson was posthumously awarded the first Air Force Cross. The development by the Soviets of SAMs that could reach the U-2 ? the type that shot down Powers and Anderson ? prompted the development of a very fast, very high flying reconnaissance plane, the CIA's A-11 Blackbird (later the A-12 Oxcart, and then the USAF SR-71).

Related Topics:
U-2 Crisis - Francis Gary Powers - May 1 - 1960 - October 14 - 1962 - Cuba - Cuban missile crisis - Rudolph Anderson - Air Force Cross - SAM - A-11 - A-12 Oxcart - SR-71

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The U-2 provides daily peacetime indications and warning intelligence collection from its current operating locations around the world. When requested from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U-2 also has provided photography supporting their disaster relief efforts. U-2s also provided critical intelligence data during all phases of Operations Desert Storm and Allied Force.

Related Topics:
Federal Emergency Management Agency - Desert Storm - Allied Force

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

However, most imagery intelligence used by the US military now comes from reconnaissance satellites. The first Corona surveillance satellite took more photographs of the Soviet Union than the total from all 24 of the U-2 missions over the country.

Related Topics:
Reconnaissance satellite - Corona

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On January 26, 2003 a U-2 crashed near Osan Air Base in South Korea injuring three Koreans on the ground, destroying the aircraft and causing extensive damage. The pilot ejected and suffered only minor injuries. A subsequent investigation blamed an engine failure coupled with deteriorating weather conditions. http://www.af.mil/news/story_print.asp?storyID=123005109.

Related Topics:
January 26 - 2003 - Osan Air Base - South Korea

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On June 21, 2005 at 22:30 UT a U-2 crashed while returning from a mission related to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123010842 The pilot, who was serving with the 380th Expeditionary Wing based at Al-Dhafra air base near Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, was killed. The aircraft crashed while approaching the base to land, but no information was released as to why the plane crashed, according to an anonymous official within The Pentagon. http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/breaking/062205_u2crash.php

Related Topics:
June 21 - 2005 - UT - Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan - Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates - The Pentagon

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~