Lockheed U-2

The Lockheed U-2, designed by Kelly Johnson at the Skunk Works, was the CIA's premier strategic reconnaissance aircraft during the Cold War. Flying at altitudes above 70,000 feet, it was thought to be beyond the reach of Soviet defenses. That assumption was shattered on May 1, 1960, when Francis Gary Powers was shot down over the USSR, creating an international crisis that scuttled a planned US-Soviet summit. Despite this setback, the U-2 provided critical intelligence during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and continues to serve the US Air Force today. Its extraordinary altitude capability and endurance make it irreplaceable even in the satellite era.