Last updated on: 7 August 1997
U-2 Timeline of Events, 1950s

- Mar 1953
William Lamar(Chief of New Development) drew up proposal calling for High Altitude Reconnaissance Aircraft
- Dec 1953
Skunk Works starts-up to modify F-104 for maximum possible altitude for reconnaissance
- Feb 1954
USAF interested in characteristics of F-104A study(CL-282, fore- runner of U-2)
- 18 May 1954
Lockheed sends a proposal for high altitude recon aircraft to Maj. John Seaberg(Asst. Chief of New Developments Branch) for review
- Sep 1954
Bell X-16 construction started(Bells version of U-2)
- Nov 1954
Foster Dulles, Charles Wilson, & Allen Dulles meet with President Eisenhower to get approval for $35 million to purchase 20 high altitude aircraft(Project Aquatone/U-2)
- 19 Nov 1954
Kelly Johnson meets w/Govt. advisory Board on feasibility of CL-282 (predecessor of U-2)
- 29 Nov 1954
Kelly Johnson forms team that would design U-2
- 2 Dec 1954
First 12 Engineers begin design of U-2 hardware. Final configuration design requirements determined and General Arrangements drawing started (EB)
- 3 Dec 1954
First design drawing completed and released to shop (EB)
- 5 Dec 1954
Shop completed first set of parts (EB)
- 6 Dec 1954
General arrangement drawings completed (EB)
- Dec 1954
Land Group meets to decide which high altitude aircraft(Bell, Martin, Fairchild, or Lockheed) to recommend to President Eisenhower
- 9 Dec 1954
Contract for funding U-2 from CIA signed
- 10 Dec 1954
- 10 Jan 1955
Fabrication of parts for first U-2 started
- 15 Mar 1955
Wind tunnel testing completed on U-2
- 21 May 1955
U-2A static test model delivered
- 8 Jun 1955
4025 SRS(Light) activated at Lockbourne AFB, OH(flew RB-57's)
- 8 Jul 1955
Static testing of U-2 airframe begins
- 15 Jul 1955
- 24 Jul 1955
U-2 #001 transported to Flight Test Location(Groom Lake,NV)
- 27 Jul 1955
Static engine runs for U-2 at Test Location
- 29 Jul 1955
Preliminary taxi tests & accidental first flight, Lockheed Test Pilot: Tony LeVier
- 4 Aug 1955
First Official Flight of U-2, Lockheed Test Pilot: Tony LeVier
- 8 Aug 1955
Lt. Col. Daniel Maloney becomes Commander of 4025 SRS(Light)
- 11 Sep 1955
U-2 #6675 delivered (later, first U-2 to be converted to "C" model)
- Oct 1955
Bell X-16 program cancelled, 2 months after first U-2 flight
- 16 Oct 1955
U-2A #6676 delivered to Groom Lake, NV
- 18 Oct 1955
U-2 reaches design altitude in flight test
- 17 Nov 1955
USAF C-54 crashes into Mt. Charleston while flying to Groom Lake, killing 10 Lockheed & CIA personnel and crew
- 20 Nov 1955
- 16 Dec 1955
- Jan 1956
U-2 Assembly Plant "Unit 80" at Oildale, Ca open and building U-2
- Jan 1956
Project Rainbow(Dirty Bird) is started, trying to lower the radar signature of the U-2
- 13 Jan 1956
- 8 Jan 1956
U-2A #6680 delivered( now on display at Smithsonian Air & Space Museum)
- 16 Feb 1956
U-2 crashed in Arizona, Pilot: Robert Everett
- 1 Apr 1956
4080th SRW(Light) activated at Turner AFB, GA
- 24 Apr 1956
- 30 Apr 1956
2 U-2As airlifted to RAF Lakenheath to form CIA Detachment A
- May 1956
U-2 art. #345 crashed at "The Ranch", CIA Pilot: Rose was killed (JD)
- May 1956
2nd class of CIA U-2 pilots starts(Gary Powers was in this class)
- 1 May 1956
4028th SRS activated at Turner AFB, GA
- 1 May 1956
Col. Gerald W. Johnson became Commander of 4080th SRW at Turner AFB, GA till 1 Apr 1957
- 1 May 1956
Col. Jack Nole became Commander of 4028th SRS(Light)
- 7 May 1956
Dr. Hugh Dryden NACA Director announces U-2 to be used as a research tool for study of meteorological conditions(actually a cover for CIA operations)
- 18 May 1956
U-2A #6684delivered(became "C" model developmental aircraft)
- 21 May 1956
First U-2 flight from RAF Lakenheath (not operational)
- 13 Jun 1956
- 15 Jun 1956
Detachment A moved to Weisbaden, W. Germany. from RAF Lakenheath
- 20 Jun 1956
Carl Overstreet flew first operational U-2 flight from Weisbaden,
W. Germany, over Poland and East Germany (LMSW & EL)
- 6 Jun 1956
- 2 Jul 1956
2nd & 3rd U-2 missions, both flown over Eastern Europe (LMSW & EL)
- 4 Jul 1956
Carmen Vito flies 4th operational mission in U-2, first mission over
USSR in Art. #347(#6680) (EL)
- 10 Jul 1956
Harvey Stockman flys operational U-2 mission in Art #347 (#6680)
- Aug 1956
Second class of CIA U-2 pilots graduates, ordered to Incirlik AB, Turkey(Det 10-10; Det B; WRS(P)-2)
- 16 Aug 1956
- Sep 1956
U-2 art. #354 crashed at "The Ranch" , CIA Pilot: Grace was killed (AC)
- Sep 1956
- 5 Sep 1956
- 17 Sep 1956
Howard Carey(CIA pilot) is killed in crash of U-2 near Kaiserlauten, W. Germany caused by jet wash from Canadian F-86 (PH)
- 21 Sep 1956
- 8 Sep 1956
U-2A #6691 delivered(was flown by Taiwan AF (ROCAF), shot down near Peking, China by SA-2)
- 22 Sep 1956
U-2 #6692 delivered (converted to U-2CT in 1972; now on display at Duxford Royal Aviation Museum, England)
- Nov 1956
Frank Powers makes first overflight of USSR from Adana (Det. B) (AC)
- 5 Nov 1956
U-2A #6693 delivered(shot down over Sverdlovsk, USSR on 1 May 1960, CIA Pilot: Francis Gary Powers)
- Nov 1956
- Dec 1956
- Jan 1957
- Jan 1957
U-2A #6697 & #6698 delivered
- Feb 1957
WRS(P)-1(Weather Recon Sq. Provisional) moved from Weisbaden, W. Ger. to Giebelstadt AB near Wurzberg, W. Germany
- Feb 1957
U-2A #6999 & #6700 delivered
- Mar 1957
U-2A #6701 delivered(now on display at SAC Museum, Offutt AFB, NE)
- Mar 1957
- 15 Mar 1957
First 2 U-2s deployed to Atsugi, Japan (Det. C) (AC)
- 20 Mar 1957
U-2 #6696 crashes at Groom Lake, NV, USAF Pilot: Anthony Bevacqua survived, wiping out landing gear(AB)
- Apr 1957
- Apr 1957
4080th SRW(L) completes move to Laughlin AFB, TX from Turner AFB, GA
- 1 Apr 1957
Col Hubert Zemke becomes Commander of 4080 SRW, through 12 Nov 1957
- 4 Apr 1957
U-2 #6674 crashes during first "Dirty Bird" flight test, Lockheed Test Pilot Robert Seiker is killed
- May 1957
- May 1957
U-2A #6707 delivered(now on display at Laughlin AFB, TX as U-2C)
- Jun 1957
U-2 #6708, #6709, & #6710 delivered
- 11 Jun 1957
US Air Force receives first 6 U-2s at Laughlin AFB, TX, 4028 SRS (AB)
- 13 Jun 1957
4028 SRS redesignated 4028 Strategic Recon Weather Sq
- 28 Jun 1957
2 U-2s crashed in separate incidents; #6699 near Del Rio, TX, USAF Pilot Ford E. Lowcock killed while buzzing his house; USAF Pilot Leo E. Smith was killed in a crash near Abilene, TX(Lack of oxygen)
- Jul 1957
"Dirty Bird" U-2 arrives in Turkey by cargo plane
- 7 Jul 1957
First operational test "Dirty Bird" U-2, flown along Black Sea coast of Russia, USAF Pilot: James Cherbonneaux
- Jul 1957
U-2A #6711, #6712, & #6713 delivered
- 27 Jul 1957
- Aug 1957
U-2A #6714 delivered(now on display at Beale AFB, CA as U-2C)
- 22 Aug 1957
4080 SRW begins HASP(High altitude Air Sampling program) flight training at Laughlin AFB, TX
- Sep 1957
U-2A #6716 delivered(now on display at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ as U-2C)
- Sep 1957
U-2A #6717 & #6718 delivered
- Sep 1957
4080th SRW receives 5 U-2s for dedicated gas and particle sampling program(HASP)
- 26 Sep 1957
U-2 #6694 crashed near Laughlin AFB, TX, USAF Pilot: Jack Nole survived, he bailed out at over 50,000 ft
- Oct 1957
U-2A #6719 & #6720 delivered
- Oct 1957
HASP flights begin, first Dets were Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico(Det 3), Ramey Pilots: Halloran, Bevacqua, Smith; and Plattsburgh AFB, NY (Det 4) (PH)
- Oct 1957
U-2D #6721 delivered(now on display at March AFB, CA)
- 28 Nov 1957
U-2A #6704 crashed near Laughlin AFB, TX, killing USAF Pilot: Bennedict A. Lacombe, he caught on speed brake during attempted bailout (AB)
- Nov 1957
U-2A #6722 delivered(used as HICAT(High Altitude Clear Air Turbulence) aircraft)(now on display at USAF Museum, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH as U-2A)
- Feb 1958
First HASP deployment to Eielson AFB, AK
- May 1958
4 British Pilots sent to U-2 Flight training at Laughlin AFB, TX; John McArthur, Michael Bradley, Christopher Walker, David Dowling (PH)
- 8 Jul 1958
U-2 #6713 crashed near Wayside, TX; killing RAF Pilot: Christopher H. Walker
- 9 Jul 1958
U-2 #6698 crashed SW of Tucumcari, NM; killing USAF Pilot: Alfred Chapin, Jr.
- 6 Aug 1958
U-2 #6697 crashed on final approach at Laughlin AFB, TX; killing USAF Pilot Paul L. Haughland
- 11 Sep 1958
Det 4, Plattsburgh AFB, NY relocated to Ezeiza Airport, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 11 Sep 1958
U-2A #6710 crashed at Edwards AFB, CA; killing USAF Pilot Patrick Hunderwadel
- Mar 1959
U-2 on display at Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Mar 1959
Lockheed test flies U-2 which dropped payload from Q bay
- May 1959
1st group of Republic of China Air Force Pilots begin U-2 Flight Training at Del Rio, TX, Of 14 pilots trained, 9 have been killed in U-2 (PH)
- 2 Sep 1959
USAF Outstanding Unit Award(First Oak Leaf Cluster)awarded to 4080 SRW

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