Gallery: The U2 Spy Plane: Still Going Strong, Still Terrifying to Fly
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DIGITAL CAMERAS have mostly replaced wet film, so ground troops, nearby aircrews, and analysts back at base can get data instantly.
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PRESSURIZATION in the cockpit used to be the equivalent of 29,000 feet, but the Air Force upped it to 14,000 feet in 2012. BREATHING PURE O2 before flights keeps pilots from getting decompression sickness, a problem that arose with more strenuous missions.
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A CHASE CAR follows the U-2 as it lands, the driver radioing to the pilot how many feet above the ground he is. Previously, an optical sight helped pilots see under the craft, but the Air Force removed it in the early 2000s.
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PILOTS' TUBE FOOD used to be just mush. New formulations deliver lunch in texturized layers of flavors (bacon with hash browns!) that squirt into the feeding port.
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GREEDIER SCANNERS mean that U-2s now listen as well as look: They’re better at picking up radio waves in places like Afghanistan, where ground scanners and lower-flying drones are blocked by mountains.
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MORE COMPLEX MISSIONS, like scouting roads ahead of convoys, mean that pilots now have to perform more tasks and flip more switches. That’s surprisingly taxing.
