The Jet That Drops Its Wheels at Takeoff | Military Aviation, Part 10

This jet leaves its wing wheels on the runway at takeoff.

The U-2 is a reconnaissance jet that the Air Force says is routinely flown above 70,000 feet, so its pilot wears a full pressure suit similar to an astronaut’s. Its long, narrow, glider-like wings lift heavy sensors to high altitude and keep them there for extended periods. On the ground, pogo wheels under the wings keep it balanced; they drop away at takeoff. Landing takes precise control, so a second U-2 pilot normally chases each landing in a high-performance car, radioing altitude and runway alignment. In October 1962, U-2 photos revealed Soviet offensive nuclear missiles in Cuba. The original U-2A first flew in August 1955, and the Air Force says all its intelligence products except wet film can be sent in near real-time by data link.

The 1955-to-today data graphic is an original illustration drawn in code, not footage, and is labelled “Illustration” on screen. The Golden Gate shot is AI-animated from a U.S. Air Force photo and is labelled “AI-animated illustration” on screen.

Some shots are AI-animated illustrations based on public-domain photos; they are not real footage.
Narration is an AI voice.

Part 10 of 15. Previous: “The Cargo Plane That Landed on a Carrier”. Next: “The Jet That Leaked Fuel Until It Got Hot”.
Watch the whole series in the “Military Aviation” playlist.

Sources:
– U.S. Air Force, U-2S/TU-2S fact sheet:
– National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Lockheed U-2A:
– National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Cuban Missile Crisis:
– National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Shapes and Patterns: The Photo Interpreters’ Evidence:
– Beale Air Force Base (USAF photo captions):
– DVIDS, Boiling Point (USAF photo caption, Airman Magazine 2016):
– National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, Lockheed SR-71A (teaser):

On-screen credit: Images: U.S. Air Force. Public domain or CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Images: public domain or CC0 only. Via Wikimedia Commons; licence templates checked via the Commons API:
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#Shorts #MilitaryAviation #U2 #DragonLady #ColdWar #CubanMissileCrisis #AviationHistory #MilitaryHistory #USAF #Reconnaissance #Lockheed #1955 #AirPower

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