Editing Lockheed U-2 (section)

====Cuba====
[[File:U2 Cockpit 2.jpg|thumb|External view from cockpit of U-2 near maximum service ceiling (2017)]]

=====Bay of Pigs Invasion=====
As many as 15 U-2 [[sorties]] provided support for the April 1961 [[Bay of Pigs Invasion]] of Cuba by the United States. Scientists such as [[Edwin H. Land]] and [[James Rhyne Killian]], who had originally conceived the U-2 and had advocated for its development and deployment as a tool of scientific reconnaissance, felt betrayed by the use of the U-2 for "dirty tricks" covert operations, such as the Bay of Pigs invasion. Richard M. Bissel, the CIA official in charge of both the U-2 program and CIA covert operations, including the Bay of Pigs Invasion, had been a good friend of Land and Killian, but such use of the U-2s strained their friendship.<ref>Monte Reel, ''A Brotherhood of Spies: The U2 and the CIA's Secret War'', (New York: Anchor Books, 2019), p. 246 {{ISBN?}}</ref>

From October 1960, Detachment G made many overflights of Cuba from [[Laughlin Air Force Base]], Texas. Although Lockheed modified six CIA aircraft into the [[aerial refueling]]-capable U-2F model in 1961, permitting some Cuba missions to originate from Edwards, pilot fatigue limited flights to about 10 hours. An August 1962 flight showed Soviet SA-2 SAM sites on the island; later overflights found more sites and MiG-21 interceptors. The increasing number of SAMs caused the United States to more cautiously plan Cuban overflights. USAF U-2s did not conduct overflights, but officials believed that it would be better for a military officer to be the pilot in case he was shot down. Following one last Cuba overflight that originated from Edwards and ended at [[McCoy Air Force Base]], Florida, on 14 October 1962, all further U-2 operations over Cuba originated from a detachment operating location that was established at McCoy.<ref>[http://www.blackbirds.net/u2/u2-timeline/u2tl60.html "U-2 Timeline of Events, 1960s."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829204851/http://www.blackbirds.net/u2/u2-timeline/u2tl60.html |date=29 August 2015 }} ''Blackbirds.net'', 7 August 1997. Retrieved: 7 December 2015.</ref>

=====Cuban Missile Crisis=====
After receiving hasty training on the more powerful U-2F under the cognizance of the Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Provisional (WRSP-4) at Edwards AFB, Major [[Richard S. Heyser]] flew over western Cuba on 14 October 1962 in a U-2F; his aircraft was the first to photograph Soviet [[medium-range ballistic missile]]s (MRBM) in [[San Cristóbal, Cuba|San Cristóbal]] before returning to [[McCoy AFB]], Florida. Prior to the launch of all Cuban sorties, the two U-2F aircraft possessed by WSRP-4 and flown by 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing personnel had USAF insignia and tail numbers.<ref>History of the 4080th Strategic Wing (SAC) Special Operations 10–31 October 1962, pp. 1-5, declassified 24 Nov 1982/Restriction Removed by SAFEPAPER No. 61, Air Force Historical Research Agency archives, Maxwell AFB, AL</ref>

SAC received permission to fly as many Cuban overflights as necessary for the duration of the resulting [[Cuban Missile Crisis]]. On a 27 October sortie from McCoy AFB, one of the U-2Fs was shot down over Cuba by an [[SA-2 Guideline]] surface-to-air missile, killing the pilot, Major [[Rudolf Anderson]]; he posthumously received the first [[Air Force Cross (United States)|Air Force Cross]].{{sfn|Pedlow|Welzenbach|1992|pp=197–210}}<ref name="afmag-anderson">Correll, John T. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20101212234749/http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2005/August%202005/0805u2.aspx "Airpower and the Cuban Missile Crisis."]}} ''Air Force Magazine'', August 2005. Retrieved: 27 June 2009.</ref>

Soviet leader [[Nikita Khrushchev]] was dismayed, warning President [[John F. Kennedy]] in a private message that U-2 overflights could inadvertently cause [[WWIII]]: "Is it not a fact that an intruding American plane could be easily taken for a nuclear bomber, which might push us to a fateful step?"<ref>Monte Reel, ''A Brotherhood of Spies: The U2 and the CIA's Secret War'', (New York: Anchor Books, 2019), p. 286 {{ISBN?}}</ref>

Fulfilling CIA officials' fears of a USAF takeover, CIA pilots never again flew over Cuba; SAC retained control over Cuban overflights,{{sfn|Pedlow|Welzenbach|1992|pp=197–210}}<ref name="afmag-anderson"/> which continued until the 1970s under the code name ''OLYMPIC FIRE''.<ref name="NRO_NRP1972"/>

At the same time as the Cuban crisis, [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[English Electric Lightning]]s of the [[Air Fighting Development Unit|Air Fighting Development Squadron]] made several practice interceptions against U-2s; guided by ground controllers and using energy climb profiles, the Lightning could intercept the U-2 at up to 65,000&nbsp;ft.<ref>Black, I. "Chasing the Dragon Lady". ''Classic Aircraft'' Vol. 45, No. 8</ref>

=====Hickman incident=====
On 28 July 1966, a U-2 piloted by USAF Captain Robert Hickman departed from [[Barksdale Air Force Base]] to conduct a reconnaissance mission; Hickman's orders included the requirement that he not enter Cuban airspace. As determined later by USAF investigators, trouble with the aircraft's oxygen system caused Hickman to lose consciousness. U.S. Navy pilot John Newlin, flying an [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|F-4B]] assigned to VF-74, was scrambled from [[Naval Air Station Key West]], ordered to intercept Hickman before he violated Cuban airspace, and, if necessary, shoot him down. Newlin could not reach the U-2 before flying closer than 12&nbsp;miles from the Cuban coastline and so had to turn back. Hickman probably was dead from oxygen deprivation before the intercept was attempted.{{sfn|Newlin|2016}} Hickman's U-2 flew across Cuba, ran out of fuel and crashed into a mountainside near Llanquera, Bolivia. The Bolivian military gave his remains an [[Guard of honour|honor guard]] at a nearby chapel. The US embassy to Bolivia sent a team to investigate the crash site.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Desert Sun 30 July 1966 – California Digital Newspaper Collection|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19660730.2.4&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1|access-date=2021-01-25|website=cdnc.ucr.edu|archive-date=5 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405200704/https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19660730.2.4&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1|url-status=live}}</ref>

From 1960 to 1965, U-2 flights originated or terminated on a nearly daily basis at [[Albrook Air Force Station|Albrook USAF base]]. In 1966, elements of the USAF's [[4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing]] flew U-2s from Albrook to perform atmospheric sampling as the French detonated a nuclear device in the South Pacific.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}