#38, U-2 Dragon Lady: Stopped a Nuclear War
On October 14, 1962, a U-2 flown by Major Richard Heyser photographed Soviet nuclear missile installations under construction in Cuba, photographs that triggered the Cuban Missile Crisis, the closest the world has come to nuclear war. Without the U-2's ability to fly above 70,000 feet and photograph targets from the edge of space, the missiles might not have been discovered until they were operational. The intelligence the U-2 provided gave President Kennedy the time and evidence to force a Soviet withdrawal.
Designed by Kelly Johnson at the Skunk Works in the 1950s, the U-2 is essentially a jet-powered glider with a 103-foot wingspan and the ability to loiter at altitudes where pilots must wear pressure suits. It has been in continuous service for over 65 years, longer than any other military aircraft except the B-52, and still flies intelligence missions today. The U-2 was famously shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960, creating an international incident, but the intelligence it gathered during the Cold War was irreplaceable. In the history of military technology and reconnaissance, no single aircraft has had a greater impact on geopolitical decisions.
