Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady

Sierra embedded blanks with Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady aluminum wing material. All blanks will come with one COA per blank. COAs are 4" x 6" card stock with foil COA seal. The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "Dragon Lady", is an American single-jet engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency. It provides day and night, high-altitude, all-weather intelligence gathering. Lockheed Corporation originally proposed it in 1953, it was approved in 1954, and its first test flight was in 1955. It was flown during the Cold War over the Soviet Union, China, Vietnam, and Cuba. In 1960, Gary Powers was shot down in a CIA U-2A over the Soviet Union by a surface-to-air missile. Major Rudolf Anderson Jr. was shot down in a U-2 during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. U-2s have taken part in post-Cold War conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and supported several multinational NATO operations. The U-2 has also been used for electronic sensor research, satellite calibration, scientific research, and communications purposes. The U-2 is one of a handful of aircraft types to have served the USAF for over 50 years, along with the Boeing B-52, Boeing KC-135, and Lockheed C-130. The newest models, TR-1, U-2R, & U-2S, entered service in the 1980s, and the latest model, the U-2S, had a technical upgrade in 2012. U-2, serial number 1078, was built as a TR-1A in March 1985. On April 24th, 1990, this aircraft crashed at RAF Alconbury in the UK, with no fatalities, and was subsequently rebuilt as a U-2ST trainer. This aluminum relic is from the original section of 1078’s outer wing skin paneling, and it was recovered from the scene of the 1990 accident. This titanium material is from the wreckage of SR-71 'Super Skater' serial number 17970. This aircraft was lost on 17 June 1970 following a re-fueling collision with a KC-135Q tanker. The material is certified and distributed by Hardin Penworks, LLC. This material is guaranteed to be 100% Authentic.