Continuing Story of the U-2

The Continuing Story of the U-2 Spyplane

By Chris Pocock

It’s the plane that just won’t go away! Earlier this year, the US Air Force bowed to pressure from field commanders, legislators and reconnaissance experts, by scrapping plans to retire the U-2 in Fiscal 2016. It was the second time this century,that the Dragon Lady had escaped the axe. The Global Hawk UAV, its high-flying rival, has turned out to be an expensive and inadequate replacement.

This is not your father’s U-2. Take a proven airframe, with years of life remaining, and add the very best sensors and communication gear. Give it to a highly skilled pilot, and provide good support from a dedicated team. No wonder the U-2 remains the most advanced reconnaissance aircraft in the world.

Chris Pocock has followed the Dragon Lady for 30 years. He has flown in the jet, and talked to hundreds of U-2 pilots, maintainers, managers and commanders. His previous book on 50 Years of the U-2 is the standard work on the aircraft’s history. Now, in the year of its 60^th anniversary, Pocock updates the story in a richly-illustrated book with many previously-unpublished photos.

Available online from the author;s e-Store www.createspace.com/4969895 or from Amazon’s websites (the best shipping option for readers outside North America).

List price $20.00. Softcover, 102 pages, 190 photos and charts, 8.5 x 8.5 inches. ISBN 9 781500 965464.