No list of the most famous spy planes ever made can be complete without the Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady, built by the company's top secret Skunk Works and responsible for one of the US's most infamous Cold War embarassments. The U-2 was originally designed by Kelly Johnson as a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft with an appearance similar to what would be a jet-powered glider and was used by the CIA and the USAF for clandestine flights over the USSR. However, in 1960 a U-2 piloted by Francis Gary Powers was shot down over Soviet terroitory leading to severe frictions between the two superpowers at the height of the Cold War. Despite this incident, U-2s continued to serve prominently during the following decades: it was a U-2 which initially spotted the USSR's nuclear buildup in Cuba in 1962 and since then they have been used for operations in Korea, the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq while a recent upgrade program ensures that U-2s will be active in years to come.

Built in secrecy, the original U-2A was first flown in August 1955 and entered service the following year. Early versions were notorious for their poor handling characteristics and thus the U-2R was developed with increased handling, range and payload. In the late 1970s, the U-2 re-entered production as the TR-1A with more advanced systems but otherwise structurally identical (eventually these reverted to the U-2R designation) and has been further enhanced by the U-2S update with new Pratt & Whitney engines and a modern cockpit among other improvements. Other variants include the ER-2 research aircraft for NASA and the U-2RT and TR-1B trainers.