Submitted by Gunner Retired on 7 October 2009 - 11:01pm to http://www.veteran.com/
I think you'll find is a TR-1 variant of the U-2. While essentially the same aricraft, it incorporated substantial upgrades in the avionics and reconnasaince capabilities with the installation of the noticable wing mounted pods (it's these pods which differentiate it from the production model U-2). It's worth mentioning that due to the aerodynamics of the aircraft at the assigned flight altitudes, they had an exceedingly narrow airspeed window.
And may we please dispense with the 'spy plane' rhetoric?
The U-2/TR-1 were high altitude (VERY high altitude) long range (VERY long range) surveillance and reconnasaince aircraft designed for airspace penetration and overflight missions. It was the advent of the U-2 and SR-71 which spared the lives of countless USN/USAF aircrews flying 'Ferret' missions in converted 'line' bombers employed to overfly positions and installations recording electronics emissions and photo reconnasaince.
The purpose of these Ferret flights, and the Ravens (highly trained technicians operating electronics recording and analysis equipment with security clearances approaching what God has) aboard them, in addition to monitoring Soviet nuclear weapons technology and launch facility locations and state of readiness, was to keep America informed of the state of Communist technology and war fighting capability as well as record their radar and comminucations signals to be able to identify specific equipments by their specific electromagnetic signatures and design counter measures in the event of armed conflict with the aforementioned Communist nations... thereby saving the lives of our airmen and soldiers engaged in said conflict should it ever break out.
Gunner Retired
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