TR-1A Dragonlady

U-2
A Lockheed U-2S in flight
Role	High-altitude reconnaissance aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Lockheed Skunk Works
Designer	Clarence "Kelly" Johnson
First flight	1 August 1955
Introduction	1957
Status	In service
Primary users	United States Air Force Central Intelligence Agency (former) NASA Republic of China Air Force (former)
Produced	1955–1989
Number built	104
Unit cost	$950,000 (1955) ($6.8 million in 2016 dollars)

$950,000 (1955)

The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "Dragon Lady", is an American single-jet engine, ultra-high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides day and night, high-altitude (70,000 feet; 21,000 m), all-weather intelligence gathering. The U-2 has also been used for electronic sensor research, satellite calibration, scientific research, and communications purposes.

Early versions of the U-2 were involved in several events through the Cold War, being flown over the Soviet Union, China, Vietnam, and Cuba. In 1960, Gary Powers was shot down in a CIA U-2A over the Soviet Union by a surface-to-air missile (SAM). Another U-2, piloted by Major Rudolf Anderson, Jr., was lost in a similar fashion during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

The U-2 is one of a handful of aircraft types to have served the USAF for over 50 years, another notable example being the Boeing B-52. The newest models (TR-1, U-2R, U-2S) entered service in the 1980s. The current model, the U-2S, received its most recent technical upgrade in 2012. They have taken part in post–Cold War conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and supported several multinational NATO operations.