When the Lockheed U-2 first took to the air in 1955, it was a fragile, hard-to-maneuver beast good for one thing—snapping photos from more than 70,000 feet overhead. The U-2 is still a fragile, hard-to-maneuver beast, but it still flies plenty of missions, because the alternatives aren’t great. Satellites can drift half a planet away from their targets, and the only comparable drone, the Global Hawk, cannot manage the same kind of payload, sensor capability, or altitude. That doesn’t mean engineers haven’t made a few improvements to the U-2 though. Today it has a 40 percent larger airframe, a more efficient engine, and a computerized instrument panel. Plus, pilots no longer fly with cyanide pills in case of capture.
The U2 Spy Plane: Still Going Strong, Still Terrifying to Fly
After more than five decades in service, the U-2 spy plane continues to evolve long after the Cold War thawed.
