Spy story

The true story behind the U2 shoot-down in “Bridge of Spies”

The U2 is a black, sleek-looking aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works that entered service in the 1950s, and after a number of variants and upgrades, is still in service today. The U stands for utility, and was selected to be purposely ambiguous, as was its numeric designation. Though it looks like a normal jet-aircraft, aside from its abnormally large wingspan, the aircraft has a unique design feature that enables it to maintain a low weight and high altitude, even when laden with enough fuel for transcontinental overflights. The U2’s tail, much like a glider or sail plane, is attached to the rest of the fuselage by only three tension bolts.