1953
The U-2 aircraft, the first true national "overhead" reconnaissance system.
- President Eisenhauer's major contribution to the cold war intelligence collection.
August, 1 1955
The First u-2 flew.
- Lockheed test pilot Tony Levier was at the controls of the first U-2 to fly.
1956
Testing was continued and was ready to fly in the spring with the air craft ready for service.
- Reserving authorization for over flights of the Soviet Union, Eisenhower worked to reach an agreement with Nikita Khrushchev regarding aerial inspections. When this failed, he authorized the first U-2 mission that summer.
1960
The wide and sleek design of the U-2 provides the United States military with a high-level reconnaissance performer.
- The U-2 was thrust into the public spotlight when one flown by Francis Gary Powers was shot down over Sverdlovsk by a surface-to-air missile.
- Powers was captured and became the center of the resulting U-2 incident which embarrassed Eisenhower and effectively ended a summit meeting in Paris.
- Also in the 1960s, engineers also worked to develop aircraft carrier-capable of variants (U-2G) to extend its range and flexibility.
1962
Lockheed redesigned the first U-2 to a single-seat aircraft instead of a double-seat aircraft.
- U-2 over flights of Cuba in 1962 provided the photographic evidence that precipitated the Cuban Missile Crisis.
1967
The Aircraft was dramatically improved the the introduction of the U-2R
- Approximately 40% larger than the original, the U-2R featured under wing pods and an improved range.
1981
The U-2R was joined by a tactical reconnaissance version designated TR-1A.
- The introduction of this model re-started production of the aircraft to meet the USAF's needs.
1990's
The U-2R fleet was upgraded to the U-2S standard which included improved engines.
- During this time the U-2 had also seen service in non-military roles with NASA as the ER-2 research aircraft.
2007
The U-2 had been upgraded with a new cockpit to make missions easier.
- Cock pit includes a new digital main avionic presser, three 6 inch by 8 inch multifuction displays. Also equipped with up-front control and display unit and an independent secondary flight display system, which serves to reduce pilot workload and improve situation awareness.
2009
The USAF announced that it intended to retain through 2014 while working to develop the unmanned RQ-4 Global Hawk as a replacement.
- Despite its advanced age, the U-2 remains in service due to its ability to perform direct flights to reconnaissance targets on short notice.