The Legendary Chase Cars Of The US Military's U-2 Spy Plane

The Air Force has a mythical sky beast known as the Lockheed Martin U-2 Dragon Lady — a jet with such efficiency and performance that it's still being used since it was commissioned during the Cold War in 1955. But while the U-2 is designed for soaring through the sky at 400 mph with its 104-foot wingspan, it can't really land without being tamed. That's where U-2 chase cars come in. 

Inspired by the look of a sailplane, the U-2 is light enough to complete missions at a range of 3,000 miles and reach an altitude of 70,000 feet — even while carrying equipment. This made it the perfect asset for U.S. intelligence agencies. Pilot Maj. Richard Heyser used the U-2 to gather crucial information about Russia's plans to launch a nuclear strike against the U.S. in 1962. But its lightness comes at a price — the U-2 wingspan generates incredible lift that makes it tough to look down at the runway while descending. When combined with its unreliable landing gear, it's beyond dangerous to touch down. In fact, it's known as the most difficult-to-land machine in the U.S. Air Force. 

Since the U-2 flies down the runway at 140 mph, whoever provides the pilot with landing instructions needed to be just as fast. The idea of a chase car was conceived, with muscle cars racing behind a U-2 as it landed to call out instructions and then provide equipment to keep it upright after it lands.

The driver operating the chase car must be just as qualified as the pilot is in the U-2 cockpit, able to give extremely critical and specific instructions all the way down the runway. Then there's the matter of the car itself — the Air Force wanted cars that had power and speed on straights, making the American muscle car the perfect choice throughout history. 

Two Ford Country Squire station wagons with supercharged engines were purchased as the initial chase cars, high on horsepower but iffy on control. Said one retired veteran to Classic Machines: "We were hot rod guys and took care of that easy enough." The idea was to use large cars to fit all of the necessary equipment but were still fast enough to keep up with the U-2 as it landed. A series of "souped up" El Caminos were next, packing massive engines that produced up to 450 hp. These cars were used for two decades, even driving under each wing to keep the U-2 plane steady. 

Up next was the CHP Fox Body Mustang after the California Highway Patrol approached the Air Force with the idea when it was in need of a new chase car ASAP. Lighter than the El Camino, the Mustang had an incredible top speed and was already equipped to run radios. After the 1980s passed, the Z28 Camero with the Police Package and a 5.7-liter V8 engine. In the 2000s, the Air Force turned to the Pontiac G8. Twenty were ordered but as they age, they are being replaced with Camaros, Dodge Chargers, Challengers, and even Teslas. 

The U-2 is getting older but it's still being used to survey dirt patterns, searching for mines and IEDs over Iraq and Afghanistan. While still effective, the U-2 is almost 70 years old at this point. With the U-2 possibly retiring soon, does that mean chase cars are also a thing of the past? 

As the U-2 reaches its end, the Air Force already is working with a new spy drone — the RQ-4A. Its top speed is 357 miles per hour and it has a wingspan of 130.9 feet. Just like the U-2, it seems like it doesn't have the best landing capabilities either. RQ-4A pilots already have started utilizing chase cars. It can't hurt to have extra eyes on the runway.

It's still a mystery what cars will be used for this challenging job once the current ones are out of date. It could very well be a fleet of electric vehicles in the near future. 

[Featured image by Air Wolf Hound via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.0]