Editing Lockheed U-2 (section)

===Lockheed proposal===
It was thought that an aircraft that could fly at {{convert|70000|ft|m|-2}} would be beyond the reach of Soviet fighters, missiles, and radar.<ref>{{Citation |last=Miller |first=Herbert L. |title=Suggestions re: The intelligence value of Aquatone |date=17 July 1956 |url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB54/st04.pdf |access-date=10 March 2009 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |archive-date=11 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211043304/http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB54/st04.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Another Air Force officer, John Seaberg, wrote a [[request for proposal]] in 1953 for an aircraft that could reach {{convert|70000|ft|m|-2}} over a target with {{convert|1500|nmi|mi km|lk=on|abbr=on}} of operational radius. The USAF decided to solicit designs only from smaller aircraft companies that could give the project more attention.{{sfn|Pedlow|Welzenbach|1992|pp=8–9}} Under the code name "Bald Eagle", it gave contracts{{sfn|Pocock2005|p=10}} to [[Bell Aircraft]], [[Glenn L. Martin Company|Martin Aircraft]], and [[Fairchild Aircraft|Fairchild Engine and Airplane]] to develop proposals for the new reconnaissance aircraft. Officials at [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed Aircraft Corporation]] heard about the project and decided to submit an unsolicited proposal. To save weight and increase altitude, Lockheed executive John Carter suggested that the design eliminate landing gear and not attempt to meet combat [[load factor (aeronautics)|load factors]] for the airframe. The company asked [[Clarence Johnson|Clarence "Kelly" Johnson]] to come up with such a design. Johnson was Lockheed's best aeronautical engineer,{{sfn|Pedlow|Welzenbach|1992|pp=8–10}} responsible for the [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning|P-38]] and the [[Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star|P-80]]. He was also known for completing projects ahead of schedule, working in a separate division of the company, informally called the "[[Skunk Works]]".{{sfn|Miller|1995|p=5}}

[[File:U- 2A Dragon Lady "Article 389" at USAF Museum.jpg|thumb|left|Original U-2A at USAF Museum]]
Johnson's design, named '''CL-282''', was based on the [[Lockheed XF-104]] with long, slender wings and a shortened fuselage. The design was powered by the [[General Electric J73]] engine and took off from a special cart and landed on its belly. It could reach an altitude of {{convert|73000|ft|m|-2}} and had a {{convert|1600|mi|nmi km|lk=on|abbr=on}} radius.{{sfn|Jenkins|1998|p=6}} The reconnaissance aircraft was essentially a jet-powered [[Glider (sailplane)|glider]]. In June 1954, the USAF rejected the design in favor of the [[Bell X-16]] and the modified B-57. Reasons included the lack of landing gear, use of the J73 engine instead of the more proven [[Pratt & Whitney J57]] used by the competing designs, and not using multiple engines, which the USAF believed to be more reliable. General [[Curtis LeMay]] of [[Strategic Air Command]] (SAC) walked out during a CL-282 presentation, saying that he was not interested in an airplane without wheels or guns.{{sfn|Pedlow|Welzenbach|1992|pp=11–16}} Having guns could pose a greater risk of exposing the aircraft during flight, and having missiles could expose it to thermal sensors.{{cn|date=May 2025}}