Site 2 at Plant 42 is where the Air Force maintains Lockheed U-2 spy planes. Though the U-2 was developed in the 1950s, it is still currently active in the Air Force’s fleet, as a manned surveillance aircraft, as it has unique capabilities, including being able to fly at 70,000 feet. Most of the U-2s still in service are at Beale Air Force Base, a surveillance base in Northern California. Site 2 was first developed by Northrop in the 1950s, for the F-89 Scorpion interceptor jet. In 1963 Site 2 was used by North American to build the massive XB-70 Valkyrie supersonic bomber. Only two were ever made, one of which crashed east of Barstow. Lockheed took over Site 2 after that, to store A-12 spy planes from Area 51, and to develop the SR-71 Blackbird.
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