Summary The iconic U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane is set to retire in 2026 after entering service in 1956. The SR-71 Blackbird was a marvel of US Cold War engineering, flying globally with impunity at Mach. Lockheed's A-12 Oxcart was built as a speedy, high-flying reconnaissance aircraft for the CIA in the 1960s.
Reconnaissance and espionage have always been priorities of militaries. The United States has long sought to gather as much intelligence on its adversaries as possible. During the Cold War, the US Air Force (and CIA) could operate many of the world's most advanced spy planes - such as the SR-71 Blackbird .
Today, the Air Force (and CIA) continue to operate spy planes , although more and more of the role is being fulfilled by stealth drones and satellites. 1 U-2 Dragon Lady 104 Lockheed U-2 Dragon Ladies were built Entered service: 1956 Operated by: US Air Force, CIA, NASA, CIA via Taiwan Retirement: 2026 (planned) The U-2 Dragon Lady has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the Cold War. Famously, the Cold War almost got hot and out of hand when an American U-2 Dragon Lady was shot down over Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, killing Major Rudolf Anderson Jr.
More U-2s were shot down over China , although they were officially under ROC (Taiwanese) control with CIA backing. The U-2 was first built in the 1950s and remains in service. It is now one of the oldest aircraft in US Air Force service .
The US has widely used it to gather information over hotspots and.