Lockheed U-2

The Lockheed U-2 is a strategic reconnaissance aircraft, designed for long term operations at 21 km altitude, all-weather and day and night. The U-2 is therefore equipped with powerful cameras and is known by the nickname Dragon Lady.

The U-2 flights in the news after in May 1960, over the territory of the Soviet Union was a U-2 shot that from an airbase near Peshawar in Pakistan had taken off where the pilot was captured. During the subsequent trial of the pilot Gary Powers was gutted fiercely by the Russians to American politics.

Content

 * 1 Design and technology
 * 2 History
 * 3 Bet
 * 4 External links
 * 5 Note

Design and engineering [ edit ]
Through his wingspan greater than the length of the gear unit has a strong resemblance to a glider.

Because the device is deployed at 21 km altitude, the pilot apply to special measures. The cockpit is designed as pressurized cabin and the pilot is dressed in a pressure suit that is very similar to the later used by NASA spacesuits. The need to protect it when the pressure falls away in the cockpit to the one reason or another. In order tohypoxia (lack of oxygen in the tissues) to prevent the pilot must one hour before the flight already be linked to the pure oxygen.

The U-2 design was, as with a gliding device, based on an airframe with minimum weight. That made the U-2 is not only a device that was very sensitive steering and handling, but also a device with very small margins of error. This came during the test flights in 1956 immediately reflected in a series of air accidents 3 with a pilot fatal.

The U-2 is considered to be one of the most difficult-maneuverable aircraft in the world. Therefore, a U-2 pilot also several colleagues on the ground - the chase pilots - who accompany him during takeoff and during landing on the runway. This is done by means of fast cars; currently on the type Pontiac GTO or Chevrolet Camaro . The chase pilots talk the U-2 pilot during the last 100 meters of its flight through the radio down; it must also be because the view from the cockpit in a pressure suit with a closed helmet is terrible obstructed (see attached link).

At the departure procedure runs a chase pilot behind the departing U-2. To stabilize the huge wings are two small supporting wheels (called pogo sticks) mounted under the wing tips and the chase pilot displays with the radio on his rising colleague exactly the right moment when he can go up the device so that the pogo sticks unhindered by the leaves fall and the plane takes off safely.

During the landing procedure to wait 2 chase pilots on the device at the beginning of the track. They race the last 100 m before the plane lands on the runway with; a car remains as much as possible next to the lowering U-2 drive and the other stays right behind it. The pilot in the rear car passes by radio to his colleague in the U-2 by the time when the unit is just above the track and if he can drop it. Because of the now missing Pogo Sticks, the unit will then roll out and after it has lost speed, falling over on one of the wing tips. The wing tips for this are also specially reinforced with a rubber block. Also this "knockdown moment" passed to his colleague in the unit by the chase pilot.

All U-2 pilots alternately play the role of chase pilot.

Today, the unit is still in use by the USAF . Although the US Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld in 2006 that operational would be stopped USAF U-2 flights from 2008, the U-2 in 2014 yet still operational. The expectation is that satellite images, complemented by images provided by the new generation of unmanned reconnaissance aircraft (URV) 's as the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, will provide equivalent information.

The U-2 is also used for NASA measurement and calibration flights ; these flights will continue.

History [ edit ]
TR-1 with gondolas

TR-1 with its car chase

The kite in his pressure suit incockpit

One of the devices NASA

In the 50s, at the beginning of the Cold War , the US government a great need for strategic reconnaissance capability to determine the extent of the arming of the new enemy, the Soviet Union .

Because the Russian air defenses around that time was pretty simple, they chose hereby knowingly violate the borders of the Soviet Union and were looking for a machine that could fly long over 20 km altitude. At that height, the device would be unattainable for the Russian fighter aircraft and surface to air missiles of that time.

To several firms were asked to provide a design and the choice fell on the by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation submitted design engineer Clarence "Kelly" Johnson.

The U-2 made its first flight in August 1955. Both the USAF and the USN were willing to fly with the unit because the US government was well aware that the international rules were violated was decided that all flights as CIA characterize operations. This meant that air force or navy pilots first resigned their part and then by the CIA as a civilian pilot to be recruited.

The U-2 was released in various types.
 * internal number Lockheed CL-282
 * U-2A with J57-P-37A engine, producing 30 copies
 * U-2B with J-75-13B engine: 16 production units
 * U-2C. The original version that the test program and various operational flights were conducted in the period 1955-1962.
 * U-2D extended hull to make room for additional equipment or second crewman
 * U-2R. This was the improved version of 1967. He was larger and had cameras with even better resolution than its predecessor. production: 15 exemplareren
 * U-2RT training variant U-2R
 * TR-1A. This was the tactical scout that was developed in 1981. The difference was manifested in the wings by two integrated gondolas. These include specially developed equipment for tactical reconnaissance in Europe. production: 25 copies


 * TR-1B trainer version of TR-1A production: 2 copies


 * U-2S. The last operational version; In 1992 all U-2R and TR-1's were converted to this new standard and equipped with the new General Electric F118 engine production: 32 copies


 * ER-2. The NASA variant that is used for experimental research. production: 2 copies

Bet [ edit ]
In the period 1958-1960, the plane was from Turkey and Pakistan deployed for reconnaissance over the Soviet Union . A device, with pilot Captain Gary Powers was shot down by the Russians with a surface to air missile, which is an international and the US caused embarrassing incident.

In 1962 operated U-2s over Cuba and photographed it Russian missile installations; this led to the Cuban Missile Crisis which is also a U-2 over the island was shot down and the pilot (Major Rudolph Anderson. [1] ) was killed.

In 1963, U-2s were used for observation of French nuclear tests on the island of Mururoa .

From 1964-1966 operated U-2s over Vietnam .

From 1983-1992 operated TR-1's from RAF Alconbury over Europe.

In 1991 and 1999 U-2s were used in the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia and Kosovo ; here they were operating from the French airbase Istres .

From 2000-2002 U-2s were deployed over the Middle East; hereby was operated from the USN fulcrum Sigonella in Sicily .

The Taiwanese air force has, in the period 1958 - 1974, U-2s used for reconnaissance flights over the Chinese mainland. The People's Republic of China had already U-2 aircraft shot down by Soviet surface-to-air missiles, but they had claimed in the press that Chinese fighters had shot down the U-2s.