U-2 - T-shirt BBMF Hurricane MKIIC When the RN retired the

When the RN retired the Buccaneer in 1978

Later in the war the aircraft found its true role when up against the Luftwaffe's FW 190 and when armed with 20mm Hispano auto cannons it became a formidable ground attack aircraft

Named after a Spartan leader

The RAF and FAA purchased the F4J and redesigned it with the Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan

U-2 - T-shirt BBMF Hurricane MKIIC When the RN retired theLockheed U 2 'Dragon Lady' World War II taught the US military the value of strategic aerial reconnaissance. The Air Force commissioned the Beacon Hill Report that suggested an aircraft was needed that would carry advanced optics and operate at an altitude of over 70,000ft. Clarence Kelly Johnson from Lockheed designed a jet powered glider, the CL282. At this time the design was recommended to the CIA, so in 1955 the aircraft was re designated the U 2