What is the Nickname of the U-2 Spy Plane?

[Sailboat]

I have a question for aircraft and military aficionados. I know there are some on this board.

Most aircraft have a military designation (e.g., F-15) and an “official” nickname (e.g., Eagle). Some also have unofficial nicknames used by military personnel as well.

I am interested in the “official” nickname of the U-2 spy plane. I have looked on the web quite a bit but without luck so far. I’ve read an assertion that it’s something specific, which I’m withholding here for the moment so as not to prejudice anyone’s thinking, but I have a hard time believing that what I read was true. Haven’t been able to either support that assertion nor disprove it, or even come up with an alternative so far.

After a suitable amount of guesses/corrections/whatever, I’ll share with you the name I was given, and you can judge for yourselves.

Thanks! I appreciate any light anyone can shed.

Sailboat

[Rhydderch Hael]

The Dragon Lady. Named so after a pirate queen in some comic book back in the day.

Or is it that you want the original CIA project name, as so described in history books? Aquatone.

[TaMeOlta]

Albatross ?? Gary Powers rings a bell ......

EDIT : NVM , Rhydd beat me :P .... I can only guess anyways ..... (search engine from work locks up browser :blink: )

[--Pete]

Hi,

Once the Soviets developed good SAMs, they probably gave it the designation "Easy Target". ;)

I'd never heard of it referred to as anything other than the U-2.

A good reference gives Gray Ghost, Shady Lady, Angel, and Dragon Lady as official or popular nicknames. I don't know if any of them were ever "official".

I've shown you mine, now you show me yours :)

--Pete

[Sailboat]

Thanks!

Well, I had run across Angel and also "Useless Deuce" (perhaps a reference to being unarmed?) on the web. A friend suggested Dragon Lady.

However, this was the answer -- the million dollar answer -- to a tabletop game of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" that I played. The questions and answers are allegedly taken from the TV show -- don't know how true that is. Anyway, one can use a 50/50 "lifeline" to eliminate two of the four guesses, leaving one right and one wrong answer. I had my 50/50 left, and for one million dollars I used it -- narrowing me down to the following two possible nicknames:

1) "Spirit"

2) "Nighthawk"

Now, my understanding is that the Spirit is the B-2 and the Nighthawk is the F-117a. So my understanding is that they're BOTH WRONG.

However, the game -- and my friendly opponents -- informed me that the U-2 spy plane is properly called the "Nighthawk". And I was out a million dollars.

No source, Internet or acquaintance, has (to date) even hinted that the "nighthawk" could be correct. Except, of course, the stupid answer card in the game, which is the only place that counts.

Was I robbed?

Sailboat

[--Pete]

Hi,

There have been more than one "right" wrong answers on the show. Heck, there have been wrong "questions" on Jeopardy which is an order of magnitude better show. Even History IQ has had the occasional blunder.

I don't know how, if at all, those shows make it up to the contestants who get screwed, but I suspect there's some legal paper work that gets the contestant's John Hancock prior to the game.

--Pete

[Nicodemus Phaulkon]

The U-2 has no official name, but is commonly known, unofficially, as the "Dragon Lady."

[ceolstan]

Here, the Christian Science Monitor suggests that the name of the U-2 is "Dragon Lady." According to an article on MSN's Slate, the plan was nicknamed "Dragon Lady" because of its notorious difficulty to fly. The specific U-2 flown by Gary Powers was "Black Lady."

Cold War Museum, however, indicates here that the plane was nicknamed "Angel" while it was made. This nickname is corroborated in this list of aircraft nicknames, although I'm not 100% confident about the site's reliability.

For a discussion of U-2 nicknames, try this page. Notice that it indicates that the plane was also nicknamed "blackbird," which is odd because I've run across references to the SR-71 as "Blackbird."

This is an interesting topic. I believe there's a book out on Lockheed's Skunk Works, which might have more complete info. Of course, it could be that the U-2 had a variety of nicknames over the years.

--ceolstan

[Rhydderch Hael]

For the record, all I have learned about the U-2, I learned by browsing off the bookshelves of the LERC as a kid.

"Angel" as a nickname? Probably made in context that Archangel, the CIA project that spawned the A-11 (predeccessor to the SR-71) was named in respect that the Archangel would be higher than the CIA's previous "angel", the U-2.

And yes, both U-2 and SR-71 in the AF inventory were regarded as the "Blackbirds" within the 9th Wing.

As for "Nighthawk"— yes, you were robbed. I've seen more than one tabletop game card give off the wrong answer.

"Dragon Lady" is definitely the most close answer you'll get.

[Yrrek]

Dragon Lady. ( I used to be in JROTC and we took many trips to different bases, I had the priviledge of sitting in a B-2 Bomber :rolleyes: ) It is called Dragon Lady because it is notorious for being extremely difficult to fly at times, while at others it was like a beautiful lady. You were robbed. :)

[Rhydderch Hael]

Alas, I've come to the conclusion that there is no official "official" name to the U-2S. Lockheed's public webpages on the aircraft will not cite a nickname/product name other than the designation, hence reflecting the public policy that since the customer (the Air Force) has not tagged an official nickname to the machine, one won't be mentioned by the manufacturer.

But suffice it to say, the Dragon Lady is the most official "unofficial" nickname to the U-2S.