defense

Where did the legendary spy plane U-2s get its name?

Many U.S. military jets developed after the 1940s bear the signature of Kelly Johnson and the Lockheed Skunk Works team he led. This is also true for the U-2s. The Skunk Works team managed to fly the U-2A aircraft, which was developed in complete secrecy, in August 1955. Satisfied with the first flight of the aircraft and realizing its high capacity in terms of intelligence, the US Air Force soon added the aircraft to its inventory.

A Difficult Aircraft to Pilot

The Lockheed-built U-2 is an aircraft developed for high-altitude strategic intelligence needs. Nicknamed the Dragon Lady, it is a single-seat, single-engine aircraft. It can provide intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance at high altitude/near space, day or night, in all weather conditions. Its long (105 feet) and wide wings enable the U-2 to fly like a glider and to operate at high altitudes for long periods of time with the heavy sensors/equipment it carries. These aircraft are technically equipped to transmit images, intercepts and intelligence information from the air to stations on the ground or to satellites while flying in the air.

Normally flying at altitudes above 70,000 feet, U-2 pilots must wear a fully pressurized flight suit similar to that worn by astronauts. The aircraft's elongated nose and 'taildragger' configuration severely limits the pilot's visibility, making landing difficult for pilots. Again, since the landing gear design is based on the bicycle-type, the pilot needs to give precise control to keep the airplane on the runway, especially in the landing roll. Whenever possible, a second U-2 pilot from the ground follows the landing of the aircraft and assists the pilot by radio during the landing roll with the 'follow' vehicle coming from behind the aircraft. There is no other aircraft in the world that can land with such external support. For this reason, U-2 aircraft are considered the most difficult aircraft to fly in the world for pilots.

Where does the name U-2 come from?

During the landing at the end of the first flight, Kelly Johnson felt the need to tell test pilot Tony LeVier over the radio how to land. According to Kelly Johnson, test pilot Tony had to touch the nose wheel to the ground first, as opposed to the landing technique of touching the rear wheels to the ground first, which is practiced in most airplanes. Even though the test pilot put the nose landing wheel in contact with the ground first at the end of each approach to land the plane, he was unable to control the plane and it would inevitably jump into the air. Naturally, the test pilot, unable to control the airplane, had to pass. No matter how hard he tried. Although Kelly Johnson saw the test pilot's efforts up close, he kept saying that "the nose wheel must make contact first". On one approach, Test Pilot Tony had to pass again, and as he did so, he pointed with one hand. Seeing this, Kelly Johnson also showed his finger to Tony as You too, and the name of the airplane became You too (U-2) in English.

Kelly Johnson on the left, U-2 Test Pilot Tony LeVier on the right

Maybe it was an urban legend, the name of the aircraft came from the initial letter of the word Utility, which also indicated its suitability for all kinds of general purpose missions. But such a legendary airplane remained a legendary narrative. The U-2s, notoriously difficult to land from the first test flight, were based at Beale Air Base in California. Pilots are trained on TU-2S aircraft, of which there are 5 in total. U-2 pilots serving at American air bases around the world continue to use Beale Air Base between training refreshers and rotations.

How were U-2 Aircraft Developed?

In order to keep the fuel consumption of the U-2s, which were built to cruise at very high altitudes for long periods of time, low, the General Electric F118-101 engine developed by GE specifically for this aircraft was integrated into the aircraft. With the recent modernization, the electrical system of the aircraft has been improved, the wiring has been switched to fiber optic technology to minimize the electronic noise signature of the aircraft, and to avoid giving images and signals to enemy radars while flying over enemy terrain. Meanwhile, with the cockpit modernization, the 1960s technology analog clocks were replaced with digital color clocks and displays. The aircraft's avionics systems were redesigned almost from scratch.

An advanced version of the U-2A, the U-2R, which first flew in 1967, was 40 percent larger than the original aircraft. Its capacity was undoubtedly just as high. Later, the TR-1A, a tactical reconnaissance version of this aircraft, structurally similar to the U-2R, was built and made its first flight in August 1981. The last of the U-2s was delivered to the US Army in October 1989. With no intention of giving up the 1950s-designed U-2 in the short term, the US has spent $1.7 billion since 1994 on airframe improvements and modernization of its sensors. These upgrades included a switch to the GE F118-101 engine. All U-2 aircraft undergoing this modernization process are henceforth referred to as U-2S.

U-2, the Legendary Spy Plane

From the beginning, the US Air Force (USAF) worked with the CIA in the development, testing and use of the U-2 as a spy plane. For example, the pilots involved in the flights over the USSR were not really military pilots. They were civilian pilots working for the CIA. Since President Dwight D. Eisenhower believed that flying air platforms over the USSR under the control of military pilots would be perceived by the Soviets as an act of war, it was decided that the pilots working on the U-2 would also have the status of civilian pilots. In this framework, pilots who had previously served as military pilots in the US Air Force were asked to voluntarily transfer to the CIA. Thus, it was preferred that all pilots, including the test pilots of the U-2, be selected from among the pilots working for the CIA. Of course, officially they were Lockheed test pilots.

The first U-2 flight over the USSR took place on July 4, 1956 (on the birthday of the US State). Photos of the Soviet shipyards in Leningrad were the proceeds of the first mission. Several more flights followed. The CIA flew 24 more U-2 sorties over Soviet and other communist countries. The aerial photographs taken during these flights revealed that, contrary to what many had feared, there was no difference in power between the USSR and the USA. Thus, it was concluded that the Soviets did not possess bombers and/or missiles more advanced than those of the US Army.

The Cuban Missile Crisis and Turkey

In the early years of the Cold War, in the late 1950s, the CIA began flying intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance over the unprecedented geographic area covered by the Soviet Union. After obtaining the approval of the US Secretaries of Defense and State, the then CIA Director proposed to President Eisenhower a program for a series of flights by U-2s. Thus, starting in 1956, U-2 intelligence (espionage) flights were carried out by U-2s taking off from bases in England, Germany, Turkey and Japan.

Thanks to these flights, American Presidents and decision-makers were able to monitor Soviet military capabilities in real time from the air. They could see the invisible. Meanwhile, in October 1962, the U-2s photographed the deployment and buildup of Soviet tactical nuclear missiles in Cuba, causing tensions on the US side to skyrocket. Thus, the American administration, which became aware of the missiles, was able to initiate the process leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The confirmation of the presence of missiles in Cuba on October 16, 1962 through aerial photographs taken by U-2s led to the imposition of the American blockade on Cuba from October 22, 1962. The United States also brought the developments in this region, which was outside the alliance's area of responsibility, to the attention of NATO. NATO's (and Turkey's in particular) security became directly related to the missiles in this out-of-area region. The rivalry between the two superpowers turned into a missile bargain, and the dismantling of the Soviet missiles stationed in Cuba was made conditional on the withdrawal of the Jupiter missiles deployed by the US in Turkey on NATO's behalf. The secret agreement on the placement of Jupiter missiles carrying nuclear warheads in Turkey was signed in Paris on October 25, 1959. The missiles placed in Turkey became fully operational in July 1962. However, after the Cuban Depression, the deployment of Jupiter missiles in Turkey was terminated in 1963 with a unilateral decision taken by the United States with the knowledge of then Prime Minister İsmet İnönü.

What is the U-2 Espionage Incident?

Meanwhile, the Soviets were not informed about the flights over the Soviet Union for a long time. In order to establish a climate of détente between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, a two-day Istanbul Conference between the two pacts at the level of Heads of Government was scheduled to take place on 15 May 1960, with the participation of Khrushchev and Eisenhower. However, the American U-2 spy plane incident erupted when the U-2, piloted by Francis Gary Powers, was shot down by a Soviet surface-to-air missile while conducting a high-altitude reconnaissance flight in Soviet airspace. The Soviets had captured the pilot of the U-2 alive. When this was revealed, the United States was forced to admit that it was a spy plane gathering information about the Soviet Union.

Francis Gary Powers, U-2 Pilot Shot Down While Serving for the CIA

The U-2 pilot captured by the Soviets was forced to reveal during the investigation in Moscow that he had been serving at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey since 1956 under a special contract with the CIA, that he had been flying overhead to gather information about radio stations, radar bases and missiles in the Soviet Union, and that at the time his plane was shot down, his mission was to fly from Pakistan to Norway to gather information. The Turkish government responded by saying that the downed U-2 was flying from Peshawar towards Norway and therefore Turkey could not be held responsible for the incident.

In the end, the fact that everything had come out in the open put American diplomacy in a difficult position vis-à-vis the Soviets. This event resulted in the abandonment of the Istanbul Conference, which had been in progress between the two blocs since May 16, 1960.

Eisenhower's statement to Khrushchev that "U-2 flights over the Soviets had been canceled and would not take place in the future" was not deemed sufficient by Khrushchev. Khrushchev decided to withdraw from the Istanbul meeting. In fact, according to the majority of historians, the U-2 incident led to the temporary suspension of the East-West détente process and indirectly prolonged the Cold War.

Conclusion

More recently, during operations in Korea, the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq, the US military has benefited from the intelligence information provided by U-2s. In addition, U-2s have provided aerial reconnaissance support in non-military missions such as natural disasters and search and rescue. Equipped with electro-optical infrared cameras, optical stick cameras, advanced synthetic aperture radar, signal intelligence sensors, and network-centric operational equipment, U-2 aircraft continue to perform irreplaceable secret missions from near space despite their aging airframe.