The U-2 Spy Plane
During the Cold War between the United States of America and the Soviet Union, the Americans used a very pertinent piece of equipment, the U-2 Spy Plane. This plane was loaded with photography equipment to help gain intel on hostile countries that could pose a threat to the United States. It was responsible for discovering the Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The U-2 is most widely known for the famous “U-2 Incident”. Gary Powers, a United States pilot was spying over the Soviet Union, and was shot down in their country. The United States at first denied that he was spying, and told them it was just a weather plane, but everyone, including Khrushchev, caught Eisenhauer in a huge lie. This ended the chance of Eisenhauer and Khrushchev meeting and solving their differences.
Kelly Johnson was the master behind the U-2 spy plane in 1955. Strangely, instead of the usual 3 wheels for landing gear on a plane, the U-2 only has 2. The back wheel is used for steering while taxiing, and two auxilary wheels are added to the plane for balance while taxiing and taking off. The plane is integrated with high powered cameras that are capable of gathering intelligence in real time.
Normally the plane will fly above 21,000 meters, meaning the pilots must wear a sort of spacesuit. The aircraft over time has seen many upgrades, and continues to get upgraded constantly. They put the newest and best technology into it to get better quality photos and videos. They have also upgraded the electrical system the best they could. Everything is top notch on these planes.