U-2 Dragon Lady
The United States Air Force U-2 Dragon Lady
Description
Role	High altitude reconnaissance
Crew	one
Dimensions
Length	62 ft 9 in (R model)	19.1 m
Wingspan	103 ft (R)	30.9 m
Height	16 ft 1 in (R)	4.8 m
Wing area	1,000 ft²	92.9 m²
Weights
Empty	14,990 lb (R)	6,800 kg
Loaded
Maximum take-off	41,000 lb (R)	18,600 kg
Powerplant
Engines	One Pratt & Whitney J75-P-13B engine; one General Electric F-118-101 engine
Thrust	17,000 lbf	76 kN
Performance
Maximum speed	510 mph (R)	821 km/h
Combat range	3,500 mi (R)	5,633 km
Ferry range
Service ceiling	> 70,000 ft (R model 90,000 ft)	> 21,212 m (R 27,432 m)
Rate of climb
Armament
Guns	none
Bombs	none	none

The U-2 is a single-seat, single-engine, high-altitude reconnaissance airplane flown by the United States Air Force. It provides continuous day and night, high-altitude (70,000 ft, 21,000 m plus), all-weather surveillance of an area in direct support of U.S. and allied ground and air forces. It provides critical intelligence to decision makers through all phases of conflict, including peacetime indications and warnings, crises, operations other than war and major theater war. A derivative of the U-2 known as the ER-2 (Earth Resources -2) is used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for high altitude civilian research including Earth resources, celestial observations, atmospheric chemistry and dynamics, and oceanic processes. The aircraft also are used for electronic sensor research and development, satellite calibration, and satellite data validation. USAF U-2 Dragon Lady. ... USAF U-2 Dragon Lady. ... The Pratt & Whitney JT4A was a turbojet engine of the late 1950s. ... The General Electric Company, or GE, (NYSE: GE) is a multinational technology and services company. ... Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ... Fixed-wing aircraft is a term used to refer to what are more commonly known as aeroplanes in Commonwealth English (excluding Canada) or airplanes in North American English. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

The U-2, whose development name at Lockheed was the CL-282 Aquatone, needed an official name. It could not be named with letters such as B for bomber and F for fighter because its purpose was not for any of those specific designations. Also, since the project was under high secrecy, it could not be called a reconnaissance plane. Finally, the Air Force decided to call it a utility plane. Since the names U-1 and U-3 had already been chosen, the name given to the plane was U-2. The plane's nickname is the "Dragon Lady." Initially, Kelly Johnson adapted the F-104 Starfighter, replacing the low aspect ratio blade wings with extremely large glider type wings as a starting point. Clarence L. Kelly Johnson (November 27, 1910 - December 21, 1990) was an aircraft engineer and aeronautical innovator with Lockheed who played a leading role in the design of more than forty aircraft. ... The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was the last of the day fighters, a high-performance supersonic interceptor aircraft capable of high speeds and climb rates. ...

High aspect ratio wings give the U-2 glider-like characteristics and make the aircraft extremely challenging to fly, not only due to its unusual landing characteristics, but also because at the extreme altitudes it can reach, the maximum speed (critical mach) and the minimum speed (stall speed) are approaching the same number. Over 90% of a typical mission is flown within five knots of stall speed. Gliders are un-powered heavier-than-air aircraft. ... Critical mach is a aeronautics term that refers to the speed at which some of the airflow on a wing becomes supersonic. ... A stall is a (usually undesired) condition in aerodynamics and aviation. ...

Because of its high-altitude mission, the pilot must wear the equivalent of a space suit. The suit provides the pilot's oxygen supply and emergency protection in case cabin pressure is lost at altitude (the cabin provides pressure equivalent to approximately 30,000 feet). Unprotected in the low pressure environment above 50,000 feet, human fluids will boil and vaporize. To prevent decompression sickness, pilots don the pressure suit and begin breathing 100 percent oxygen at least one hour prior to launch; while moving from the building to the aircraft they carry their own oxygen supply. The aircraft carries a variety of sensors, is extremely reliable and has a high mission success rate.

The U-2 is capable of simultaneously collecting signals and imagery intelligence. Imagery intelligence sensors include either wet film photo, electro-optic or radar imagery. It can use both line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight data links.

The aircraft completed an upgrade to the General Electric F-118-101 engine in 1998, to provide better fuel economy, reduced weight and increased power. Other upgrades to the sensors and the addition of the Global Positioning System increased collection capability and provides superimposed geo-coordinates directly on collected images. 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

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. 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 crisis another U-2 was shot down, killing Major Rudolph Anderson, the pilot. Major Anderson was posthumously awarded the first Air Force Cross. U-2s provided critical intelligence data during all phases of Operations Desert Storm and Allied Force. The development of SAMs of the type that shot down Powers and Anderson, by the Soviets, that could reach the U-2 prompted the development of a very fast, very high flying reconaissance plane, the CIA's A-11 Blackbird (later A-12 Oxcart, and then the USAF SR-71). The U-2 provides daily peacetime indications and warning intelligence collection from its current operating locations around the world. 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. Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is one of the American foreign intelligence agencies, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... Soviet Union - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Lockheed/BAE/Northrop F-35 Lockheed Trident missile C-130 Hercules; in production since the 1950s, now as the C-130J Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is an aerospace manufacturer formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. ... Skunk works is a term used in aerospace engineering and other engineering and technical applications for secret (black) projects. ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Soviet Union - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... 1956 is a leap year starting on Sunday. ... The U-2 Crisis of 1960 occurred when an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union. ... Francis Gary Powers (August 17, 1929 - August 1, 1977) was the American pilot whose U-2 plane was shot down while over the Soviet Union, thus causing the U-2 Crisis of 1960. ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... October 14 is the 287th day of the year (288th in Leap years). ... 1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Republic of Cuba is an archipelago in the northern Caribbean that lies at the confluence of the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. ... The Cuban Missile Crisis was a tense confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States over the Soviet deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba. ... The Air Force Cross was originally entitled the “Distinguished Service Cross (Air Force)”, and was first proposed in 1947 after the creation of the United States Air Force as a separate armed service. ... See also: 2003 invasion of Iraq and Gulf War (disambiguation) C Company, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, 1st UK Armoured Division The Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. ... In general, allies are people or groups that have joined an alliance and are working together to achieve some common purpose. ... A surface-to-air missile (SAM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft. ... A11 or A-11 can refer to: The A11, a road in England from London to Norwich. ... The Lockheed YF-12 was a prototype interceptor aircraft that formed the basis for the SR-71 Blackbird. ... The Lockheed SR-71, unofficially known as the Blackbird, is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft by Lockheeds Skunk works, which was also responsible for the U-2 and many other advanced aircraft. ... A spy satellite (officially referred to as a reconnaissance satellite or recon sat) is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications. ... Diagram of J-1 type stereo / panoramic reciprocating Corona reconnaissance satellite camera system used on KH-4A missions from 1963 to 1969. ...

When requested from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U-2 also has provided photography supporting their disaster relief efforts. New FEMA seal The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA is an agency of the United States government dedicated to swift response in the event of disasters, both natural and man-made. ...

The U-2R, first flown in 1967, is significantly larger and more capable than the original aircraft. A tactical reconnaissance version, the TR-1A, first flew in August 1981. Designed for standoff tactical reconnaissance in Europe, the TR-1A was structurally identical to the U-2R. The 17th Reconnaissance Wing, Royal Air Force Station Alconbury, England used operational TR-1As from 1983 until 1991. The last U-2 and TR-1 aircraft were delivered to the Air Force in October 1989. In 1992 all TR-1s and U-2s (all U-2Rs) were designated U-2Rs. The trainer variant of the TR-1, the TR-1B, was redesignated as the TU-2R. After re-engining with the F-118-101 engine, the former U-2Rs were designated the U-2S Senior Year. 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1983 is an integer and composite number that represents a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

U-2s are based at the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale Air Force Base, Calif., and support national and tactical collection requirements from three operational detachments located around the world. U-2 pilots are trained at Beale initially using the U-2ST, the two-seat trainer version of the aircraft. The two civilian ER-2's are based at the Dryden Flight Research Center.

General characteristics

• Primary Function: high-altitude reconnaissance
• Contractor: Lockheed Aircraft Corp.
• Date Deployed: U-2, August 1955; U-2R, 1967; U-2S, October 1994
• Inventory: Active force, 35 (4 two-seat trainers); Reserve, 0; ANG, 0

See also: SR-71 Blackbird 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... The Lockheed SR-71, unofficially known as the Blackbird, is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft by Lockheeds Skunk works, which was also responsible for the U-2 and many other advanced aircraft. ...