It was a top-secret project that involved the highest levels of the Pentagon and CIA at the height of the Cold War. But where do you build a revolutionary spy plane, and keep it away from Russian spies? You build it in Bakersfield. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots – the story of how the valley helped build the legendary U2.
Back in the early 1950s before spy satellites, the government needed a plane that could safely fly over Soviet airspace. Enter the U2. Its mission: take photos of Soviet weapons. In 1955 Lockheed built the first batch of U2s for the CIA at the company’s plant in Burbank.
Then the Air Force placed an order for 30 more U2s. Needing space, Lockheed turned to a non-descript building on Norris Road in Oildale, next to the Bakersfield airport. They called it Unit 80. The planes would be built in Oildale, then partially disassembled. At night they’d be loaded onto cargo planes and flown to Groom Lake, where they’d be put back together.
The Oildale operation ended in 1957, but it’s had a long legacy. The U2 is still in service today with both the Air Force and NASA, over 70 years after it first took flight.
