5 Facts About The Fascinating U2

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Just like the B-52 Stratofortress, the U-2 Dragon Lady is still actively used today. This high-altitude reconnaissance plane just keeps getting better and better.

1. More Than 60 Years In Service

Its first flight was 67 years ago and was in service about a year later. It could fly up to 70,000 feet and still perform its duties in all types of weather and time. The U-2 has been so effective that itโ€™s been used in all conflicts involving the United States since it was introduced.ย 

2. Used For Humanitarian Efforts

Yes, it was developed to be used in wars but those have a tendency to end unlike tragedies and calamities around the world. The U-2 provided pictures of floodwaters when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005 and provided the same help during the Haiti Earthquake in 2010.

3. Itโ€™s Also Used For Science

An updated variant of the U-2, called the ER-2, is used to aid climate change research by providing digital multi-spectral imagery. Hurricanes and storms are also studied to determine their intensity and landfall impact.

4. Features Wet-Film Cameras

These cameras can go as big as film projectors and are used to distinguish objects as close as 8 inches to as far as 70,000 feet apart. It could also produce high-resolution images stretching up to 250 miles in any direction for the pilots to see. After missions, it would have 2 miles worth of film and only 5% of it will be used for military planning.

5. Proven and Tested

The U-2 had a fleet of 30 planes deployed in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. The massive reconnaissance plane helped Marines hunt explosives and detect insurgent footprints over its areas.