Who would have thought that the Lockheed U-2, Kelly Johnson’s late, uninvited, and losing entry into a 1950s Air Force competition for a reconnaissance aircraft, would still be flying intelligence-gathering missions almost 60 years after its first flight? Challenged for its role as the sultan of surveillance by reconnaissance satellites, by Lockheed’s Mach 3 glamour puss, the SR-71 Blackbird (retired in 1999), and most recently, by the big Northrop Grumman surveillance UAV, Global Hawk, the U-2 flies on—above 70,000 feet, for as long as 12 hours at a time.
In this special section, we report on the hazards faced by the pilots who fly the U-2 today, the experience of one of the test pilots who flew for Lockheed in the 1960s, the special requirements of handling this unique aircraft, and its 57-year history. We also offer a pair of stories about two Chinese encounters with the U-2: one from a MiG pilot who tried to shoot it down; one from a Chinese American who knows more about the images held in the National Archives than anyone else in the world.
Killer at 70,000 Feet
The occupational hazards of flying the U-2.
I Flew the U-2
One of Lockheed’s former chief test pilots for high altitude reconnaissance describes the joys and terrors of the U-2.
Wingman in a Pontiac
It takes two to land the dragon lady.
I Was There: Bring Down the Spyplane
MIG-17 vs. Lockheed U-2.
Lin Xu’s Obsession
It started with a search for images of his hometown in China. Hundreds of miles of film later, he can't stop looking.
Dragon Lady: A Portrait Gallery
Once a top secret, the U-2 is one photogenic spyplane.
Diary of a Spy
Events that made the U-2 the world's most famous player in the game of espionage.
The U-Deuce
The secret to a spyplane's eternal youth is a new suite of gadgets installed on a classic chassis.
