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The Lockheed U2 spy plane was an ultra light glider-like plane
designed by the Lockheed Skunk Works for the U.S. Central
Intelligence Agency. It's mission was to photography soviet
military installations. Originally, it was hoped that the
plane could fly so high that the Russians could not even detect
it. As it turned
out, although the Russians could see the U2 on radar, it flew so high
that it was out of range of their missiles and aircraft.
There was nothing
they could do about it.
Because the Russians could not
shoot it down, the U2 flew freely over all of Russia for four
years taking pictures of all the Russians' high security
military equipment. Finally, after four years of providing the
US with the most valuable information during the entire Cold
War, one was lost to Soviet action. Surprisingly, it was not
actually shot down by the Russians. The Russians sent up a plane
to shoot down the U-2. It couldn't reach it, so it shot straight
up. At the same time the Russians
were also firing missiles at the U2. None of them could hit
the U2 but one did hit a Russian plane! It exploded and the
shock waves broke off the U2's fragile wings. The Russians
captured the pilot and plane ending the missions over Russia for
the U2.
The loss of the U-2 resulted in an international
conflict. In the wake of it, the controversial aircraft were
assigned to the Air Force. Today it is used for high altitude
research.
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