The Lockheed U-2 was built to snoop on the USSR – and still plies the skies 57 years on. BBC Future profiles one of aviation’s most extraordinary designs.

The Lockheed U-2 was built to snoop on the USSR – and still plies the skies 57 years on. BBC Future profiles one of aviation’s most extraordinary designs.

Satellites – and drones – were intended to replace it. But the 65-year-old Lockheed U-2 is still at the top of its game, flying missions miles above our everyday world.

The U-2 began flying at Groom Lake in Nevada (better known as Area 51) in 1955. Designed to operate at 70,000 feet (21,336m), it resembled a glider with very long, straight wings to maximize lift ...

Welcome back on the Daily Aviation for a new documentary video about the preparation of the Lockheed U-2 (also know as the ...

Satellites – and drones – were intended to replace it. But the 65-year-old Lockheed U-2 is still at the top of its game, flying missions miles above our everyday world.

Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady. Usaf/Getty. ... The U-2 continued flying and is still used today, though the Air Force is retiring the legendary U-2 spy plane in 2026.

ANALYSIS: Lockheed proposes new U-2 transformation into triple-spying threat. By Stephen Trimble 2018-03-16T14:26:56+00:00. In a hangar known as Site 2, ...

Lockheed Martin say a U-2 is on duty at nearly every hour of the day. It first took to the skies in 1955 and was used in espionage missions, snapping photographs from more than 70,000 feet overhead.

Lockheed Martin is developing a successor to the storied U-2 spy plane, Flightglobal reports. Lockeed Martin's "Skunk Works," the office in charge of developing the company's high-end future ...