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| Lockheed
U2 model airplane |
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July, 1955, President Eisenhower proposed an "Open Skies" policy under
which both U.S. and Soviet reconnaissance aircraft would be free to make
unrestricted flights over each other's territory, thus reducing tensions
and increasing mutual trust. This was rejected by the Soviet Union, but
a month later Lockheed flew the first U-2, which had been designed and
built under conditions of great secrecy in the company's so-called "Skunk
Works". It had remarkable high-flying and long-range performance that resulted
from the powerplant and configuration. The former was a Pratt & Whitney
J-57 with revised fuel system, and the aircraft's high-aspect ratio glider-like
wings allowed range to be extended by shutting down the engine to flight-idle
and gliding over long distances. Intended for operation at altitudes where
detection and interception were unlikely, the U-2 bristled with data-gathering
devices. That the U-2 was, in fact, detectable and vulnerable was demonstrated
on May 1, 1960 when, during an overflight of the Soviet Union (which the
U.S. had previously emphatically denied was being done), a U-2 flown by
Francis Gary "Frank" Powers, was shot down by a surface-to-air missile.
Powers escaped by parachute and was captured, but the incident lead to
a further dramatic temperature drop in the "cold war." The value of the
U-2 was demonstrated in 1962 when these aircraft made early discovery of
attempts to install ballistic missile sites in Cuba, and provided the foundation
for the pressures which eventually ensured their removal. Interestingly,
the U-2 is now used to study high altitude weather patterns, which is what
the government had initially claimed it was being used for at the time.
(Who knows, maybe Powers was actually just studying the weather over Russia
in 1960.) |
This model is in precision polymer to exacting specifications.
It is hand painted, and comes fully assembled with removable desk stand. |
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Dimensions: Wingspan, 18" -Length, 11" -Scale,
1/72
Item #B3372S3R - $124.95
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