The Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady is a single-engine, high-altitude aircraft family developed for long-endurance reconnaissance. The original U-2A first flew in 1955 and entered service in 1956; the enlarged U-2R, TR-1, modernized U-2S, and NASA ER-2 carried the design into military surveillance, disaster-response support, atmospheric research, and Earth-science missions. Its glider-like wing and bicycle landing gear make the family aerodynamically and operationally distinctive.
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